Entwined
by BosBaBe
Summary: Struggling desperately with feelings that are becoming harder to hide, Crona and Maka find themselves in more trouble than they had bargained for. Can they even hope to make it out with what's left of their sanity intact? Crona x Maka CRONA IS MALE
1. Encounters and Farewells

**Wow, my first EVER SOUL EATER FAN FIC! YAY! *happy dance* Well, as you all know, there aren't many Crona x Maka fanfics out there, honestly there aren't, and that makes me sad. I think it's such a beautiful and easy pairing to work with! Why the lack of writing material? Well I want to change that! So this story is dedicated to all those die hard Crona fans out there!**

**I LOVE YOU CRONA! *waves her Crona Flags***

**Oh, and just to warn you, this story is rated M for a reason! There will be lemons somewhere along the line! And no, this isn't just another story where the characters simply f*%$ each others brains out in every so chapter without any real emotion and heart felt feelings. I'm going to keep the characters as true to themselves as possible, meaning this story has a very prominent plot! :D**

**Genres: Romance, Humor, Drama**

**Oh, and in this story Crona is Male, since I'm basing this off the Anime. There will be references and parts from the Manga, but this is mostly based of the Anime. I have always seen Crona as male, and I always will. Sorry guys if you were looking for a good Yuri! ^^; You won't find one here!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Crona: I-I can't say it!**

**Ragnarok: Yes you can, say it!**

**Crona: I c-c-can't! I don't know how to deal with something like this!**

**Me: Why do you have to say it? I wrote it!**

**Ragnarok: That bitch has a point!**

**Me: BUT I DON'T WANT TO SAY IT EITHER! T_T**

**Ragnarok: Don't make me hurt you!**

**Me: F-fine! I don't own Crona or Soul Eater! I only own this story! T_T *huddles in a corner with Crona and starts to cry***

**Ragnarok: ... Stupid F%$#s...**

Encounters and Farewells

The grinning moon hung lazily over the looming mass that was Death City, its insane eyes watching the world below it with undisguised amusement and a disturbing eagerness. Its eerie light lengthened the city shadows, darkening the alleyways between the larger buildings, plunging them into deep and impenetrable darkness.

It was in one of these dark and dingy alleyways that Scythe Meister Maka Albarn stood, green eyes wide, whirling this way and that, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her massive Death Scythe shook in her gloved hands, the red and black blade reflecting its own inner light, pulses throbbing along its length. It bet like a wild bird in her hands, not only reminding her that she was not alone, but that she had a right to be afraid.

"Maka, calm down! This isn't cool at all!" her Death Scythe Soul Eater shouted, his face appearing on the blade, his red eyes wide as he tried desperately to soothe his panicking Meister.

"Shut up Soul! This has nothing to do with acting cool!" Maka snapped, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end as a deep, malicious chuckle came at her from the shadows around them. She whirled again, but as she turned, she could have sworn she saw a grotesquely twisted white face grinning at her from the corner of her vision, red eyes alight with insane hunger. She stopped in mid spin, a gasp of fear escaping her as she spun back round, only to find the spot empty.

"For god's sake Maka, if you don't pull yourself together you're going to get us both killed!" Soul roared the red eye on the handle of the Scythe narrowing angrily as he bucked in her hands, "You are a Scythe Meister, the Meister of Death's most powerful Death Scythe! You are stronger than this! Pull yourself together damn it!"

But the frustrated Scythe suddenly fell silent as a long, midnight black arm shot from the shadows, grabbing his Meister by the neck and pinning her against the alley wall, her back hitting the wall with a sickening crack. The seventeen year old gasped and hacked, one hand gripping Soul for dear life as the other clawed at the shadowy hand throttling her unmercifully.

A dark, sadistic chuckle cut through the air, and a pair of red eyes flashed into existence in the shadows across from them, the eyes hungry and full of blood lust.

"My, my, what filthy mouths you both have. It's quite distasteful you know!"

"Maka!" Soul screamed eyes wide in panic as Maka thrashed weakly against the wall, the fighting spirit inside her beginning to die away, "Fight back, damn it!"

But the thing was, they had been fighting back for what felt like hours now. The two of them had accepted the mission to locate and execute the Back Alley Phantom without a care, not considering it to be a particularly difficult mission, especially for a weapon pair such as themselves. But they had greatly underestimated their opponent, and they were now paying the price for their negligence.

Maka felt tears sting at her eyes, and with a hoarse and desperate cry she swung Soul with all the strength she had, cutting the arm holding her in place into shredded bits which quickly retreated into the shadows. With the sudden absence of force that had previously pinned her in place Maka couldn't find the strength to stop herself from slumping to the floor, her body hitting the cobbled alley floor with yet another sickening crunch. Soul hit the ground with a clang beside her, his red eyes wide with horror and disbelief.

Looking up, Soul watched helplessly as yet another chuckle filled the air, the shadows beginning to twist and lengthen, taking the shape a shrouded and misshapen figure. A horrific and twisted face began to form, blood dripping from a gaping mouth, impossibly large red eyes fixed on them with insane delight. Shadowy black hands danced and bucked in the air in front of the Phantom, almost as if he was playing some bizarre instrument, and he began to move towards them, hands outstretched.

"Your delicious little partner is long gone now, boy. She's barely even alive as it is. Let me put you both out of your misery," he hissed, his voice rasping and grating to Soul's ears. The Scythe bared his dangerously sharp teeth in reply, a low, vicious growl escaping him.

"I won't let you touch her!"

The Phantom stopped, and he began to laugh, a long, red tongue falling from his gaping mouth to lick and flick at the air. The shadows that made up his grossly twisted body pulsed and surged with his laughter, almost seeming to make terrified faces in the folds of his cloak.

"You won't? But you see boy, I already am. Why not take a look at your Meister again?"

Soul felt his heart sink right to his feet, terror making his breathing stop completely. Looking up to his Meister, Soul felt all the blood drain from his face, a low cry escaping him.

Long, dark shadows had begun to twist and wrap themselves around Maka, curling and lashing at her pale skin, leaving bruises and cuts in their wake, darker than normal blood oozing from the tiny wounds. Maka's one eye was screwed shut while the other stared blankly ahead, half lidded and dazed with pain from her fall. The shadowy tendrils moved their way up her slim body, making their way towards her throat with dreadful ease.

"Maka!" Soul cried, all rational thought leaving his mind. He heard the phantom laugh behind him, and he suddenly realised just how screwed they really were. Alone and defenceless, they were going to die in this stupid, dingy back alley, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He had failed. He had failed as her Weapon Partner. He had failed as her best friend. He had failed as her protector. He had failed as Death's most reliable weapon. He'd failed, and there was nothing he could do to make things right.

Soul fought back a scream of anger and terror as he felt the Phantom draw closer, and he reformed himself into his human form, moving closer to his Meister in a last ditch effort to protect her, baring his teeth and screwing his eyes shut. But his attempt was met with hateful laughter, the sound piercing the night air like a guillotine.

"You really are useless. I'll enjoy devouring that girl's soul, and I'll make you watch me do it, little Death Scythe!"

"No you won't…"

Soul's eyes flashed open, and he looked up, red eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

A tall figure stood before them, blocking the Phantoms path, legs planted firmly on the spot in an almost graceful fighting stance. Strands of light pink hair blew in the soft breeze that suddenly wafted through the alley, sending locks of it flowing every which way; the long black robe the figure wore swaying slightly. Pale skin glowed in what little light there was, and the long, dangerously large black sword in the Swordsman's hand seemed to flash hungrily, red lips parting on the sword blade to form a sadistic grin. The Swordsman's other hand gripped his sword arm for dear life, digging into his own flesh mercilessly.

Overhead, the grinning moon began to laugh, watching the scene below with joyful mirth.

The Phantom stopped, his red eyes growing even larger than they already were, "What! Where did you-,"

"Shut up, you stupid fuck!" a high pitched voice screeched, and the hand grasping the sword tightened, knuckles growing whiter.

"Ragnarok…" the Swordsman pleaded, voice soft and fearful. But the sword only laughed in reply, its smile simply growing larger.

On the ground, Maka began to stir, her eye moving to gaze up at the tall and lanky figure before her. Tears began to overflow from her eyes and tumble down her cheeks unchecked, her single open green eye brimming with worry and anxiety.

"Crona…" she murmured, her voice soft and barely audible.

The Demon Swordsman stiffened on the spot, and he turned slowly, revealing his pale face to her. White and black eyes met green ones, and his expression hardened in determination, his eyes flashing dangerously with a light she had only seen on the rarest of occasions.

"It's okay Maka. I'll protect you, I promise!" he murmured, turning back to the hissing and twisting Phantom before him. The feminine looking teenager glared at the monster with undisguised malice, his fear and cowardice nowhere to be seen.

"You shouldn't have hurt Maka. I'll make you regret it…"he muttered, eyes downcast, locks of pink hair falling to cover his eyes. Slowly, he began to raise his sword, the blade hissing as if it were cutting through the air itself.

The Phantom laughed viciously, surging forward, red tongue lashing outwards like a snake, "That's what you think, boy! You're just a minor inconvenience! Just another soul to feast on when this is all over!"

With a hiss, the shadows began to rush forwards, forming midnight black blades as they cut through the air, twisting into knives around the hideous monster. They began to shoot outwards, aiming right for the pale seventeen year old, the shadowed blades cutting through the air like butter.

But this didn't seem to faze the young man in the slightest.

"Ragnarok…" Crona called out, raising the inky black sword high above his head, "Scream Resonance!"

With malicious glee Ragnarok let out a deafening shriek, spittle flying from his gaping mouth as he screamed his lungs out, causing the sword to vibrate like a chainsaw. The screams pierced through the air better than any blade ever could, and the shadows seemed to shrink and falter, fearful of the powerful weapon and Meister before them. But the hesitation didn't last long, and with a screech the Phantom flew at the Demon Sword and his Meister, eyes alight with rage and murderous intent.

The sight made the corner of Crona's lips twitch upwards ever so slightly for a mere second before turning down again, dangerous white eyes narrowing.

"Screech…Alpha!" Crona screamed, bringing Ragnarok down in a long and vicious arch. Dark pink light burst into existence, and a black and twisted form shot from the blade, opening its ragged mouth as it shot towards its prey. Light filled the entire alley, lighting up every nook and cranny, destroying the shadows effortlessly. Soul and Maka watched in astonishment as Ragnarok's attack shot through the black blades, shattering them and going right past the Phantom to slice through the row of buildings flanking the alley behind him.

"Damn it Crona, you missed!" Ragnarok screamed, glaring up at his Meister angrily. Crona simply made a whimpered apology, not really paying all that much attention to his sword. This would have enraged the weapon beyond any form of rational thought, but his shouts were cut off as the Back Alley Phantom let out a roar of rage, red eyes wide.

"You little brat! I'll kill you!" he screamed before sending a large, menacing black blade right at them, the weapon moving fast enough to shoot right through the Meister and the people he was protecting behind him.

This thought made his jaw clench.

Expression hard and blank, Crona let go of his arm and lashed out, grabbing the blade with his bare hand. The sound of metal meeting something as solid as steel filled the air, ringing and echoing angrily over and over again. The Phantom could only stare in shock and disbelief as Crona clenched his fist, shattering the blade into a million tiny pieces, a smile spreading across his lips.

"Oh dear..." he murmured, his voice ringing with an undertone of insane mirth, "I think you made me bleed a little..."

Indeed, he was bleeding. Black blood dripped from his hand, drops of it falling to the ground, the drops reflecting the light as they fell. Ragnarok let out a vicious, bloodthirsty laugh, the sound echoing his own Meister's madness.

"Stop messing around, Crona! Let's finish of this stupid piece of shit! I'm fucking starving!"

Crona nodded, looking towards his prey with glee, "Bloody needle."

With a chuckle of delight the blood from his hand shot outwards in long, dangerous spikes, rushing towards their target with lightning accuracy. The Phantom didn't even have time to scream as they pierced through his body, slicing through him mercilessly. With a gurgling noise his body crumbled to pieces, turning into black nothingness before exploding outwards, leaving behind a twisted Kishin Egg.

Ragnarok let out a little shout of triumph, the sword in Crona's hand dissolving and reforming on his back. The tiny form of Ragnarok protruded from his upper back, cross eyes rolling, little gloved hands ruffling Crona's hair furiously. Despite his vulgar, offensive and even violent attitude, Ragnarok was undeniably cute.

No one would dare tell that to his face though. It had happened once before, and Maka still blushed whenever she thought about it.

"Goopi!" Ragnarok cheered, waving one little fist in the air in triumph, "That's seventy five souls! We're on a roll! We'll out pass those stupid little pricks in no time!"

But Crona wasn't listening to his weapon. Turning away from the Kishin Egg he made his way back to his companions, eyebrows raised in obvious concern, his expression anxious. Ignoring Ragnarok's shrieks of protest and punches he dropped to his knees beside Maka, dark grey eyes moving over her battered form.

"Maka! M-Maka, are you okay?"

The blond smiled, nodding weakly, "I'm fine Crona, really! And thank you, thank you so much!"

"Yeah, thanks man. We would have been utterly screwed if it wasn't for you!" Soul added, clapping a hand down on Crona's shoulder. The shy and anxious young man smiled slightly, looking away from the two of them bashfully.

"I-it was n-nothing! R-r-really!" he stuttered, blushing deeply. Ragnarok snorted, leaning forwards over Crona's head to look Maka in the eye, one eye larger than the other in a strangely human expression.

"Hey, don't I get a thank you too? Selfish little cow!"

"Ragnarok...!" Crona murmured in exasperation, beyond embarrassed and ashamed, "Don't say stuff like that to Maka! It's not nice!"

Maka looked up to him, smiling with genuine affection for the rude little demon, "Thank you, Ragnarok!"

"_Thank you very much!_" Ragnarok corrected, pulling Crona down with a violent tug so the Meister was bent double, his head almost completely in Maka's lap so the little demon could get right up close to the young woman's face.

Maka closed her eyes sheepishly, reaching up a nervous hand to pet Ragnarok. She'd seen what the Demon Sword could do to people who didn't thank him properly, and she was in no state or mood to suffer his wrath.

"Sorry! Thank you very much, Ragnarok!"

Ragnarok made a disgruntled sound, unceremoniously tugging Crona back up again, the teenager in question blushing ten different shades of red, his eyes wide with horror from being almost literally buried face first in-between Maka's thighs. He'd been close enough to see the stitching of her pleated skirt for goodness sake!

"We'd better get going. I'm starting to get sick from just being in this god damn place. Crona, Ragnarok, you can have that egg. You earned it," Soul growled, standing up and pulling Maka to her feet gently. The Scythe Meister swayed on the spot for a second before gaining her balance, declining Soul and Crona's offers to support her. She was ashamed she was even in this situation; the last thing she needed was to have insult be added to injury by being carried home by her two best friends.

Crona looked over her for a moment longer, obvious worry painted across his features. But worry slowly turned to admiration, and the young Swordsman found himself staring at the woman who had changed his life forever, saving him from the grips of insanity and darkness. Over the year since the battle against the Kishin had been fought and won, Maka had grown considerably. She was more than just a thin little girl now. Her legs had grown impossibly longer, and her chest had filled out a little more, giving her just the right amount of curves. Sure, she would never be anything like Patty, Tsubaki or Blaire, but she was still beautiful and elegant in her own way.

Crona felt his cheeks burn, and he hurriedly turned away, horrified by the thoughts in his head. Ignoring Ragnarok's wicked laughter he scurried over to the Kishin Egg and grabbed it, holding it up to his weapon, hoping desperately that the little demon wouldn't see his blush.

But nothing ever got past Ragnarok.

Laughing wickedly Ragnarok clamped his little balled hands around Crona's face, tugging at his cheeks mercilessly, "Oooh, you're blushing Crona! Isn't that just the cutest thing! Is little Crona having a perv over Tiny-Tits over there?"

"Ragnarok!" Crona gasped in horror, unable to believe how loud the Demon Sword had just shouted. Blushing wildly Crona shoved the Kishin Egg desperately into the little weapons mouth, causing the demon to hack and cough as the large egg was shoved bodily into his mouth. Chewing and swallowing, the demon collapsed onto Crona's head, coughing and spluttering, cross eyes watering.  
But his fit didn't last long, and when it was done, Ragnarok launched himself into one of the most vicious attacks he had ever inflicted upon his unfortunate Meister.

"_Crona! You worthless piece of shit! You're trying to kill me aren't you! Well I won't let you! I'm going to beat you to a bloody pulp and kill you, and then I'm going to revive you and beat you up again!And then I'm going to eat you!_"

"Ow, ow, ow, _ow_! H-how is that e-e-even p-possible! You c-can't do that! OW! Don't pull my ears like that, ow! I don't know how to deal with something like that! Ow, Ragnarok quit it!"  
But their fight was interrupted by an all too familiar voice, and both parties fell silent, their bodies going rigid.

"Hey Crona, Ragnarok, what's going on!" Maka called, looking at them with a startled expression. She watched as the weapon pair turned slowly to look at her, their eyes wide, horrified at having been caught.

"N-nothing!" they both called at once, Ragnarok releasing Crona while the teenager straightened and wiped the blood from his lip, hoping Maka wouldn't notice his injuries. The Meister hated it when they fought, and they had suffered her wrath many times before to know that if they ever got caught, they would instantly regret it.

Especially Ragnarok. He knew all too well just how fatal her Maka Chops actually were. And it still amazed him that no matter where they were and no matter what the time was, she still managed to pull out a book big enough to crush his skull in one foul hit. Where the _fuck _did she put that damn thing anyway?

Looking down at the floor and gripping his arm tightly Crona hurried over to his companions, shaking slightly with nerves. He stopped beside Maka, feeling her stunning green eyes look him up and down, stopping on his down turned face. He felt his heart beat quicken, and he held his breath, awaiting his fate.

But nothing happened, and he suddenly felt a warm hand on his cheek, soft fingers brushing his skin gently. Grey eyes flashed open, and he looked up, watching as Maka smiled gently at him and wiped flecks of dirt from his pale cheek.

"You okay, Crona?" she asked gently, green eyes full of heartfelt concern. Crona fought desperately to resist the urge to snuggle into her hand, a contented sigh building up in his throat. Closing his eyes he nodded, his lips quirking up in a smile.

Maka watched her pink haired companion, unable to stop herself from staring. It was amazing how far he'd come from being the shell shocked, shivering pile of nerves he had been when she'd saved him to being the shell shocked, shivering young man he was now. He hadn't changed much over the last year she had been with him, but there were definite changes that people couldn't help but notice. For one, training with Death the Kid and Black Star had given him small but refined muscles on his arms and chest, his body strangely remaining as thin and curvy as ever. His face remained innocent and boyish as normal, his large eyes almost seeming to plead with whoever looked into them. That she knew would never change, no matter how old he was. Crona would always look distinctly feminine, but in his case that wasn't a bad thing. In fact, there was a certain handsome charm to his looks, something that had become startlingly more apparent as he grew older.

And yet, she couldn't help but feel like he hadn't changed at all. He was still the same nervous, shy young man she'd held in her arms just a few months before. He would never change, and that thought filled her to the brim with happiness.

Closing her eyes, Maka began to focus on his wavelength, warming up and shifting her own to match his. She felt his body stiffen before her, his muscles clenching before melting, his wavelength becoming warm and welcoming as he focused on hers in return.

Their wavelengths linked up effortlessly, and the two Meisters breathed out contented sighs, enjoying the company and trust they shared in one another, their hearts soaring with the unbelievable feeling. They both opened their eyes and smiled to each other, their eyes alight with knowing affection and understanding.

Soul watched them from the side, smiling knowingly. No one would ever be as close to his Meister as himself and this young man before him. The bond Maka and himself shared was understandable, but the connection between Crona and Maka was something else entirely. It was astonishing that it could even exist in the first place, but there it was, radiating off of them in waves. Their soul wavelengths weren't two entities, but one, merging and folding together in a way he had only thought possible for a Meister and Weapon partner. It was beautiful, and he felt his smile grow larger, his affection for the two Meisters growing tenfold.

Pulling away from one another, Crona and Maka smiled, still radiating with their linked wavelengths. Even Ragnarok had grown silent, quietly enjoying the sensation of his Meister being so close to another. Not only did Crona enjoy the sensations, but so did his partner. He wouldn't dare tell it to them though, that could get embarrassing.

"Hey Crona, why don't you guys come stay by our place for the night? It's late, and I think it would be best for you guys to be close by for tomorrow," Soul suggested, coming forward and draping two lazy arms around the Meisters shoulders, pulling them close for a massive hug. Crona nodded shyly, blushing slightly from the moment before with Maka and the hug taking place now. Ragnarok perked up visibly, leaning close to the Scythe and staring at him pleadingly with wide, crossed eyes.

"You mean it? And will you guys be cooking dinner, I'm starving!"

Soul shrugged, eyes gazing lazily ahead as they walked, "I don't cook, Maka does. And now that you mention it, I'm pretty starving myself…"

As one, the three males leaned forwards and gazed imploringly at the blond bookworm; eyes alight with hope and hunger. Maka gave them a glare before looking away stubbornly, lower lip jutting out impudently.

"_Fine_, I'll make your damn dinner. Men, all they ever do is think about their stomachs. But I'm going to shower first, I'm a total mess!"

"Yes ma'am!" the three males intoned, smiling with delight at the prospect of a home cooked meal.

Maka couldn't help but sigh. 

* * *

After the events of the previous night, the habitants of Soul and Maka's apartment felt more than a little exhausted. It took Maka almost an hour to drag Soul out of bed, and it turned out the only reason it had become possible was because Blaire and magically appeared above him, naked and smiling from ear to ear. Although Maka would never actually admit to this.

Well, better him than Crona. She could only imagine what would have happened if Blaire had chosen the lanky and more than a little nervous Swordsman as her delightful target. One of the most likely scenarios being the kitty flying head first out the nearest window after a particularly violent Maka Chop.

Nobody ever harassed Crona and got away with it.

The Swordsman in question sat huddled up on the living room sofa, hugging a pillow to his chest while he watched an utterly uninteresting program on TV. Well, it was uninteresting to most people, but to the Demon Swordsman it was beyond enchanting. With the horrific way he had been brought up, Crona had never had the pleasure of watching a single TV program or movie. The only form of entertainment he'd ever gotten was training and torturing animals, and he'd hated them both with a passion so fierce it would drive him to tears just thinking about it. He'd sworn never to hurt another animal in his life, but he knew he would never fully get rid of the scarring it had caused him emotionally and physically.

At that moment he was watching a particularly intriguing program on dolphins. Cocking his head to the side slightly, Crona watched in blank faced fascination as a pack of dolphins attacked a shark twice their size, attacking it ruthlessly to protect their young. His dark eyes took in the sight and memorised it, tucking it away in a part of his mind where he could look back on it later.

But Ragnarok was a lot harder to entertain, and with a little chuckle of delight the demon grabbed up the remote from the coffee table and changed the channel, his round hand pressing each button repeatedly as he stuck out his tongue in concentration.

"Hey, Ragnarok! I was watching that!" Crona whined, looking up to stare at his weapon partner in consternation. He tried to make a weak and feeble grab for the remote, but his attempt was futile, the demon merely laughing at his efforts. On the screen a pair of wrestlers finally flashed into life, the two burly and sweaty men attempting to break every bone in the others body.

"No way Crona! That shit was boring! Watch this, it's much more entertaining! Besides, it's good for you!"

"No it isn't…" Crona muttered, only to have Ragnarok tug his nose, causing the young man to shriek in pain.

"The hell do you know? This is gold! I'm trying to turn you into a real man, and what do I get for my efforts? Lip, that's what I get! You and your smart mouth!"

Crona prepared to make a last ditch effort for the remote, grabbing what little courage he had with both hands. But just as he made a grab for it the door to Soul's room opened, Maka and the weapon in question coming out with a large red suit case. Crona and Ragnarok stopped their wrestling to look up at the two, watching as Maka questioned her partner ruthlessly.

"You packed in your hairbrush?"

"Yes Maka."

"Your shoes?"

"Yip."

"Your underwear?"

"…Um, yeah, I'm sure I did!"

"Your cell phone?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Your toothbrush and toothpaste?"

Silence filled the room, and after a moment Soul swore violently under his breath, making a mad dash for the bathroom.

"Idiot," Maka muttered, rolling her eyes, "If it wasn't for the fact that his head was glued to his shoulders he would have left that behind as well!"

"I heard that Flat Chest!" Soul roared from the bathroom, making a vain on Maka's forehead pulse angrily.

But Crona could tell she wasn't angry. In fact, if anything, she was on the verge of tears.

Soul and Maka were practically inseparable, but as a Death Scythe, his loyalty to Lord Death came first and foremost. A few days ago Soul had received the order from his master to travel to London alone to meet up for the summit taking place between all the Death Scythes of the world. He would be the personal representative for Death City and Lord Death himself, a title magnificent enough to make anyone proud. But Soul just felt utterly dismayed. He'd requested for Maka to be able to make the trip with him, but Lord Death had declined his request, stating kindly that it would be best for him to learn to be away from his partner for extended periods of time. And as much as he hated it, Soul knew it was the truth. This was certainly not the last time he'd be away from Maka for weeks on end, and he knew it.

Still, that didn't mean he had to like it.

A cry of triumph could be heard from the bathroom, and Soul came back with his toothbrush and toothpaste held high, grinning from ear to ear. In his other hand was a whole bunch of other toiletries he had doubtlessly forgotten as well.

Maka glared at him as he proudly stuffed his things into his bag, struggling to fit everything in. In the end he was forced to snap his toothbrush in half, tossing the other half out the window with a care free smile. Crona and Ragnarok craned their necks back to watch it spin through the air outside, soaring a good five meters before hitting an unsuspecting passer by outside.

Maka cringed as the sound of shouting came up to them from the cobbled street below, and she turned to give Soul her most violent death stare yet.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Hey, it didn't want to fit! It's not my fault the bag's too small!"

Maka went silent, and with a blank expression made a grab for the nearest dictionary, snatching the gigantic volume off the shelf.

Soul saw the attack coming out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes grew wide with terror, "N-no! _NO WAY!_"

But his cry did nothing to stop the attack, and Crona couldn't help but wince as the book came down hard on Soul's head, sending the white haired young man to the floor with a crash. Soul lay there twitching on the floor, blood spouting from his skull, drool dripping from his chin in a lazy trail.

Maka examined her handiwork, a wicked look of satisfaction on her face. She turned to smile cheerfully at Ragnarok and his cowardly Meister, and the two smiled shakily back at her, laughing nervously, both of them seriously unnerved.

"Remind me never to fuck around with her again, okay?" Ragnarok whispered to Crona sheepishly; sweat beading on his little black head. Crona nodded slowly, not holding it to his weapon too much. He wasn't the only one terrified of those books and the mad woman who wielded them.

It took about five minutes for Soul to regain consciousness, and another five minutes after that for him to remember where and who he was. By the time he was able to form a coherent sentence without falling over, Maka was just about ready to give up and kick him out the front door.

"Soul, come on focus now! Is all your stuff packed?"

"Well, seeing as you packed most of _everything_ for me, surely you should know that yourself…" Soul muttered, pressing a large blue ice pack to his head and wincing. Maka gave him another blank look; her hand moving for the dictionary once more.

This seemed to get his attention, and he sat up dead straight, his face going pasty white in terror, "I give, I give! Yes, everything's packed okay? Just stop attacking me for god's sake! It's not cool!"

Maka nodded in satisfaction, folding her arms across her chest. After a few moments she went into the kitchen and came back out with a plate and bag of chocolate chip muffins, placing the bag on top of Soul's suitcase before waving the plate to the three males, pointing a finger at the muffins perched on its surface.

This instantly got Soul and Ragnarok's attention, and the two hungry weapons made a mad dash for the plate. Well, at least Ragnarok tried. But without any legs, the feat was impossible, and the little demon found himself clawing uselessly at the air, seeming for all the world like a chicken trying to take flight.

Crona sat like this for a while, listening to the cries and wailed swear words emanating from the weapon sticking out his back with a sense of dry mirth. Finally giving in, he unfolded himself from the couch, dropped the pillow and stalked over to the plate. He sighed and picked up two of the delicious looking muffins, offering one to his weapon partner, but instead of taking the one offered to him Ragnarok took them both, reaching down and snatching the other one from Crona's hand as well. Laughing hysterically the demon proceeded to stuff his face with them, attacking the muffins with formidable ferocity.

Crona gave the demon the closest thing to a glare he could muster before grabbing another muffin, this time making sure to keep it well away from his unbearable companion. Taking a bite of his own muffin the Swordsman couldn't help but make a noise of delight, eyes brightening considerably.

"These taste great, Maka!" Crona said in amazement, looking towards his best friend and love interest with wide eyes. She smiled modestly in return, closing her eyes as the three boys proceeded to shower her cooking with compliments.

"It was nothing! I wanted to make something nice for you guys to say thanks for last night! Not to mention Soul needs something to stuff his face with on the way to England."

Soul didn't bother standing up for himself. How could he? It was the god honest truth.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. We'd better get moving, or else you'll be late for your train!" Maka suddenly gasped, glancing at the skull clock on her wall. With a shriek she grabbed Soul's bag and thrust it into his hands, causing him to almost choke on his muffin. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and began to drag him towards the door, grabbing the collar of Crona's shirt as she went and bodily began to drag him along, ignoring his cry of shock.

It was like this that the two men were dragged to the Death City train station, the two screaming hopelessly all the way there. By the time they stopped at the right platform and Maka let them go, they both fell to the floor, twitching with muscle spasms.

"We're here! Thank goodness we're not late!" Maka breathed a sigh of relief, not seeming to notice that her companions had almost passed out behind her.

"Oh joy…" Soul muttered, regaining his composure and standing to his feet. Crona still lay there, eyes crossed, seeming to be on the very verge of unconsciousness. He didn't even notice when Ragnarok began to poke at his face, prodding him over and over again in the exact same spot.

"Well, I'm going to go hand in your ticket! You guys wait here, okay?" With that said the blond shot off to go find the ticket counter, pigtails flying behind her, her red skirt swaying across her thighs with each long stride.

Soul waited till she was well out of earshot before turning to his pink haired friend, expression turning deadly serious.

"Hey, Crona. Get up man; I need to talk to you."

The tall young man snapped to attention, startled by Soul's serious tone of voice. He stood to his feet and latched onto his arm nervously, not quite sure what to expect.

Whispering quietly in Crona's ear, Ragnarok only started to make things worse, "He knows, Crona! He knows what goes through your head whenever you look at his Meister! You're screwed now, you know!"

Crona felt his heart stop, and he began to sweat. He knew there was no way that Soul could possibly know how he felt about Maka, but the possibility was there, and it was staring at him straight in the face. What if Soul found out? What if it made him angry? What would he do? Would he kill him? Would he hate him? Would he tell Maka?

These thoughts sent his mind reeling, and Crona began to shake, fear stabbing at his chest over and over again. His teeth began to chatter, and he forced himself to stay rooted to the spot, pushing back the over whelming urge to run for the nearest corner and hide there.

"Y-y-y-yes? W-w-what do y-you want t-t-to t-talk about, S-S-Soul?"

Soul looked him up and down, one eyebrow raised quizzically. But after a moment he merely shook his head, letting out an audible sigh.

"Listen, I know this is asking much but…could you stay with Maka, you know, until I get back?"

Crona felt his heart stop for the second time in the last two minutes, and he staggered back slightly, eyes wide. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, only spluttering whimpers.

Finally when he managed to regain what little composure he'd had in the first place, he spoke, his words soft and obviously confused, "W-what? Why?"

Soul scratched the back of his head, shrugging, "Yeah, you must think this is really stupid. I know it seems that way, but you see, Maka hasn't been alone for quite some time now. She's afraid of it. You're not the only one who had an unpleasant past, you see. I don't want to leave her in that flat with only that naked cat-chick to keep her company. I don't know what she'd do…and…"

Crona and Ragnarok waited for him to continue, holding their breath. When Soul finally looked back to them his red eyes were as hard as steel, full of certainty and determination.

"I want someone there to protect her. Someone who I can trust to keep her safe no matter what. I know what you must be thinking. Why not Kid, or Black Star? Well here's why. She trusts you the most out of all the people she knows, and no matter what, she knows she'd be safe with you. No one else can give her that. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

Crona nodded, his expression turning hard and serious. It was true, he'd do anything to protect Maka, even lay down his own life. He couldn't lose her, and the fact that she trusted him was something he cherished above all else. He had betrayed her once before, and he swore he would do everything in his power to make it up to her. If he had to face a newly born Kishin on his own to keep her safe, he'd do it without a second thought.

He would do anything for her. Anything at all.

"So then will you do it? Will you watch out for her for me?"

"Of course. I won't let anything happen to her, I promise," Crona swore, nodding seriously. Soul smiled at him, revealing his set of dangerously sharp teeth in the process. The sight would have made anyone else shiver, but it didn't faze Crona in the slightest. In fact, he was rather fond of it.

"Has anyone ever told you how cool you are?" Soul asked in admiration, clapping his hands down on Crona's shoulders. The taller boy smiled, shaking his head in reply, pink locks swaying.

"Well they should! I owe you one, Crona, seriously I do," Soul smiled, stepping back to offer out his hand. Crona looked down at it in confusion for a moment before shaking his hand, smiling back at the Death Scythe with obvious shyness.

Maka hopped up to them a few moments later, looking between the two males with curious eyes, "Hey, what's up you two? Why such huge smiles?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. Is everything sorted out?" Soul asked, turning away from Crona to look at the tickets in Maka's hands, red eyes eyeing them wearily.

"Yip, it's all good. They said you'd better start boarding, or else you won't get a good seat."

"Go figure. Like my time with you guys wasn't already short enough."

Silence reigned over them for a few moments after that, before Maka leapt forward and embraced him, smiling up at him, "Have fun, okay? And for Lord Death's sake, don't mess things up!"  
Soul laughed, ruffling her hair, "Sure, whatever Flat Chest. Stay cool, okay?"

Maka nodded, obvious tears in her eyes. She stepped back and looked at the ground, not wanting to see him leave.

Soul looked at her for a moment longer before giving Crona a burly hug, patting Ragnarok's head in the process, "And you two had better be alive when I get back. Don't kill each other, damn it!"

"Hah, like I'd listen to you!" Ragnarok snapped, looking away as he folded his arms. But he wasn't fast enough to hide the two little tears that leaked from his rounded eyes.

Soul just laughed, before snatching up his suitcase and making his way to the train, waving his tickets carelessly as he went. Crona and Maka watched him board the train in silence, watching as he disappeared into its dark depths.

A few moments later the train roared into life, its skull face lighting up as the old fashioned steam train began to billow out black smoke. A low horn cried out mournfully, and with agonizing slowness the sleek black train began to move out the station, picking up speed as it went along.

Maka watched it from the platform as it disappeared from sight, her eyes burning. She sniffed and looked away from the empty platform, shaking her head furiously.

Crona walked over to her and tentatively took her hand, waiting for her to reject him. But when she curled her fingers around his he smiled, sweat beading on his forehead as his nerves got the better of him. He wasn't good at comforting people. He didn't know how to deal with it. The last thing he wanted was for her to cry. It would be just too much for him to handle.

The two of them walked out the train station in silence, entwined hands swinging at their sides. Finally, Maka spoke first, a smile creeping across her face.

"I think when I get home I'm going to bake something else. I had fun baking those muffins last night! You want to help me out?"

Crona smiled and nodded in return, and her face lit up, green eyes aglow with gratitude and happiness.

"Thank you, Crona!"

Just as he was about to reply to her, a song began to play, the song loud and eerie, like a Halloween theme song. Maka cocked her head to one side and let go of Crona's hand, digging in her pocket for her white and emerald green cell phone. She pulled out the small device and flicked it open, holding it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Maka, Maka sweetie it's your Papa!_"

The young woman's expression instantly turned sour, "Oh. Hi Papa, what do you want?"

"_This is serious, Maka. I need you to come to Lord Death's room immediately. I'm waiting for you there._"

Maka's expression changed, her eyes growing anxious from the serious tone of his voice. Her father was rarely ever serious.

Was something wrong? And why was he still in Death City?

"Papa, I thought you were going to the Death Scythe meeting in England. I thought you left yesterday already! What's-,"

"_I'm not going to the meeting anymore, hun. Now get over here as fast as you can. We need to talk._"

* * *

**And there you have it folks! And there's a cliff hanger! *gasp* I wonder what's going to happen next! *insert evil laughter here***

**I hope all the characters were in character! It's not as easy as it looks! Please tell me if I got anything wrong, okay?**

**I'll update as soon as possible! Please leave a review on you're way out! Pretty please? :3**


	2. The New Order

**The New Order**

Maka charged head first down the corridors of Shibusen, blond pigtails trailing behind her as she ran. Booted feet slammed against the marble floor, long legs stretching out with each lengthy stride. Her breaths came in shallow gasps, and she staggered around a corner, almost falling flat on her face as she stumbled over her own feet.

She had never been a very fast runner, but that didn't mean she was going to stop pushing herself to go faster. If anything, it made her press forward with all the more determination, willing herself to push her body to its very limits.

As she ran full pelt towards the Death Room, Maka thought back on what her father had said, going over their brief but disturbing conversation over and over again.

_I'm not going to the meeting anymore, hun. Now get over here as fast as you can. We need to talk._

What on earth was going on? How could Papa not be going to the meeting? It was the biggest meeting called between the weapons since the Kishin had been revived, and now he was not going at all? If he wasn't going to attend something like that, and if the tone of his voice was any indication, something terrible had or was just about to happen.

Did it have something to do with Lord Death? Could it even be a witch?

_Or Mama…_

This thought made her stomach drop through the soles of her feet, and she pushed herself harder, fear giving her more energy than before.

At that moment, she wished Crona had come with her. She needed his soothing company now more than ever. He'd offered to come with her, seeing the anxious look in her eyes, but she had declined his offer, pleading for him to wait for her at her apartment. At the time it had seemed like a good idea, but now she regretted it more than ever, longing for the pink haired teenager's compassion and support. Maka was strong, stronger than most people out there, but she was also afraid, and no matter how hard she tried to fight it, her fear weighed her down like a ton of bricks.

Only two people in the world could sooth and ease her pain, and she had left the nearest one behind her in the dust.

Skidding around a corner, Maka finally saw the door to Lord Death's corridor, and she let out a sound of relief, slowing her pace ever so slightly. She reached the black door and forced it open, pressing all her weight against it. It groaned in protest, but soon it slid slowly open, revealing the blue sky and the guillotined corridor leading through the desert of black crosses.

Once again the blond Meister took off down the corridor, passing under the bladed arches without a moment's hesitation. She hurried towards the rooms centre as fast as her tired legs would allow, and soon she burst out into the wide open clearing, almost falling over the step leading to the raised grey platform that made up the centre of the Death Room.

Doubling over and resting her hands on her bare knees, Maka took a moment to regain her breath, heaving in and out in an attempt to slow her racing heart. After a minute of deep breathing and coughs she finally looked up, wiping the beads of sweat off her forehead.

Her eyes immediately fell on the lone figure in the room, the man standing in front of Lord Death's mirror. He wore a black and charcoal suite, and his hair was blood red, standing out in stark contrast against his skin. Blue eyes stared at her from across the room, the once care free light in them replaced with deadly seriousness.

"Papa!" Maka called, climbing the step and walking over to him. She stopped in the centre of the room and clasped her hands in front of her, not sure how to act in front of her normally obnoxious and annoying father, "You wanted to see me! What's wrong?"

Spirit looked his daughter up and down before turning away, hands buried in his pockets. He slowly turned to Lord Death's mirror and looked into it, giving Maka a view of his back.

"That's right hun. I'm glad you could make it here so quickly. Did Soul get on the train this morning?"

Maka fought down the urge to sigh in exasperation, already getting slightly annoyed, "Yeah, I made sure he got there on time. But what's going on, Papa! You're acting weird all of a sudden…well, more weird than usual anyway! What happened? And why aren't you on your way to the Death Scythe meeting?"

Spirit still stared into the mirror, not speaking to her face to face. Silence fell over the room, and Maka felt her heart sink, her shoulders slumping.

Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Finally, Spirit broke the silence, his voice making Maka straighten up instantly.

"Maka, I've received new orders from Lord Death," he declared, turning around and facing her, face blank and serious, hands buried deep in his trouser pockets. Maka held her breath, waiting for him to voice the order, possibilities moving through her head like machine gun fire.

"I've been ordered…," he said, closing his eyes and taking three small sheets of card from his pocket. Maka's eyes zeroed in on the papers before shooting up to her father, just in time to see his eyes flash open, his face lit up with joy and excitement.

"_To take you on holiday!_" he cried, thrusting out the three small tickets with obvious pride and joy. He gave her his brightest smile and threw her a thumbs up, winking at her like the host of some lame and cheesy game show.

Maka felt her whole world come crashing down around her head, everything turning bleak and grey. Her heart and stomach fell right through her shoes and through the floor beneath her, and her eyes stared at the tickets in utter disbelief, her jaw hanging slack in a classic jaw drop.

This wasn't happening. This was _not _happening.

"Papa…" Maka murmured her face pasty white. Spirit continued to grin at her, his daughter's reaction not seeming to faze him in the slightest.

"Surprised, huh? Who would have thought your old Papa was such a good actor! Well that doesn't matter! I know you're going to love it!"

Maka looked down at the floor, clenching her fists. After a moment everything came back in startling clarity, and her anger fell upon her like a ton of bricks.

"_You can't be serious!_" she roared, looking up and waving her fists in the air as she verbally attacked her still grinning father, "All of this, over some stupid _holiday_? You had me worried sick! And what makes you think I'm going on holiday with you anyway!"

If Spirit was hurt by her outburst, he didn't show it. Instead, he waved the tickets in her face, grinning wildly, "Oh, I'm serious Maka! I did it to surprise you! And it worked! And of course you're coming with me!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

Maka felt her spirits sink, and she looked to the mirror behind her father, her eyes going wide as she saw Lord Death himself staring back at her, his skull face blank. He waved a large white hand at her, bouncing on the spot happily in a way that did not seem even remotely fitting for the Lord of Death himself.

"B- but Lord Death-!" she began to plead, but he cut her off, waving his hand at her to silence her.

"No buts, Meister Maka! I'm ordering the both of you to take a holiday. You've earned it! I don't want you sitting at home by yourself while Soul is away, and this is the perfect opportunity to relax and wind down for a bit!"

Maka floundered around desperately for an excuse, waving her arms in the air hopelessly, "But what about school? Lord Death please, be reasonable! All that work, I can't miss it!"

Spirit danced over to his little girl, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay hun, we sorted that out already! Stein has offered to gather all the work that you'll be missing and put it aside for you! You won't miss a thing!"

Maka gave her father the most violent glare imaginable, promising him a slow and painful death. The red head sweat dropped and snatched his hand away, taking a few good paces away from her, making sure he was well out of reach of any incoming Maka-Chops.

"He's telling the truth Maka! Now cheer up, and turn that frown upside down! You'll have fun, I assure you! I've organised everything! You'll be taking a luxury cruise to a remote island resort in the Caribbean, and after a week there you'll take the same cruise back! And to top it off, I've brought you an extra ticket so you can take someone along with you! You'd be spending two weeks doing nothing but having fun and relaxing! Doesn't that sound_ amazing_?" Death asked cheerfully, leaning right up close to the mirror to see her face.

Maka froze, turning around to face her superior. She had to admit, that sounded amazing. A two week long trip across the Caribbean was something anyone would die for, and here she was being offered it on a silver platter.

And to make things better, she wouldn't have to go with just her annoying father for company, but a friend too.

She could either spend those two weeks at home alone or away on an island paradise with someone she held close to her heart. The answer was right there in front of her, and it didn't take a whole lot of persuasion or force to help her make her choice.

"Alright Lord Death, I'll do it…" Maka finally declared, standing up straight and pressing her arms to her sides, her expression determined. Death clapped his hands together in delight, moving away from the mirror with three happy bounces.

"That's the spirit! The three of you can take the train to the harbour in two days! You'll get there just in time to catch the ship before it leaves! I can guarantee you won't regret it!"

"Yes sir! I told you she'd do it, I told you she would!" Spirit sang, dancing about with joy. Death gave the Scythe an annoyed look, cocking his head to one side slightly.

"I had no doubt that she would bow to my wishes, Death Scythe."

But Spirit was far too lost in his own joy to care much for what his master was saying. He pranced over to his only child and grasped her by the shoulders, smiling from ear to ear.

"Aren't you excited sweetie? And think about it, you can take a friend with! I'm sure Miss Blair would be more than happy to come with! She's such a dear! Here's the ticket, and be sure to give it to a very _close _friend, okay?"

Maka took the two little blue tickets, gazing at the beautiful white ships on their surfaces. She knew what her father was trying to hint at, and it made her sick to her stomach. There wasn't a chance in hell that she would take that cat along with her. She was going on this trip to have fun, not to share a room with a sexy kitty and to watch her and her perving father sexually harass each other.

But she wasn't going to tell him, though. She'd rather see his hopes get crushed when she brought her own friend with her to the platform on that fateful day. Oh revenge would be _sweet_!

But that brought up another question. Who to take with? Black Star was already out of the question. She doubted she'd ever survive a day with him alone, not to mention two long weeks. How about Tsubaki? Or Kid? Or perhaps even Liz or Patty?

But a pair of grey eyes flashed in her mind, and she smiled, her choice made instantly. She had no doubt who she would be taking with, and she was looking forward to those next two weeks more than ever.

Death saw her beaming smile, and he cocked his head to one side, his voice layered with happy curiosity, "And that smile? Do you know who you're taking with, Maka?"

Maka looked up to him, holding the tickets to her chest and smiling from ear to ear.

"Yes sir! I most certainly do!"

* * *

Maka swore under her breath as for the hundredth time in the last three minutes as she tried to find the right key to her apartment, fumbling through them angrily. They jingled happily in her hands, the sound seeming sadistic to the Scythe Meisters ears as they slipped and tangled up in her fumbling fingers. And just as she seemed to find the right one, they slipped through her fingers, falling to the welcome mat with an evil clang.

The blond couldn't hold it in anymore, and she let out a scream of frustration, snatching up the keys and ripping them apart. She finally found the right key and shoved it violently into the lock, twisting it so hard it was a wonder that it didn't snap in half right then and there. The door unlocked with a click, and she kicked the door open with one booted foot, stomping inside her neat apartment like a raging storm.

But she froze, the door sliding closed behind her. Her green eyes roamed over her apartment, and she felt her jaw go slack.

Her once neat apartment was a total mess, tables and chairs turned over and books scattered across the floor. The television blared in the corner, some weird presenter ranting on and on about the amazing wonders of the Amazonian jungle and the creatures that lived in it. Maka stared at the remains of her once neat apartment, her eyes wide with disbelief.

And that was not the only thing that was weird.

Her apartment was _empty_.

"Crona? Ragnarok?" Maka called, picking her way over a broken vase. She tried to pick up any noise in the apparently deserted apartment, but all she could hear was silence.

This made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and worry clawed at her, making her fists clench.

"Crona, Crona where are you!"

Suddenly, she heard it. Laughter. It was soft, tinkling and seductive, a laugh she knew all too well. The sound was coming from the passage way ahead of her, and the Meister clenched her teeth, stomping her way over to the darkened corridor.

Peaking around the corner, Maka had to bite down hard to stop herself from roaring with rage. The cat woman Blair was pressed up against her bedroom door, completely naked, purple hair curling and uncurling as she rubbed herself up against Maka's bedroom door. She appeared to be purring into it, her gold eyes half lidded as she called out to the inhabitants of the tiny bedroom.

"Come on, lil' demon boy! I know you're hiding in there! You can't hide from Blair forever! Come on out, you don't have to be afraid of me! I'll make you feel all better, I promise!"

Maka felt her blood boil with rage, and she snatched up the dictionary she had used earlier from the floor, pointing it at the devilish cat with murderous intent, "_You!_"

Blair went still against the door, and she turned, her gold eyes growing wide with horror, "M-Maka! You're home! I-,"

But she was cut off as Maka rushed at her, swinging her book back in a vicious arch. Blair screamed and exploded in a puff of purple smoke, transforming into her kitty form with a pop. The cat tried to make a run for it, but the enraged blond was far too fast, and the cat let out an ear splitting screech as Maka side swiped her with the dictionary, sending the little purple kitty rocketing down the corridor and out into the lounge. Maka charged after her, eyes aflame with anger, her hair standing on end, preparing to attack the cat again. But she was too late, and she watched as the cat shot out the kitchen window, mewling and screeching in terror, her fur standing on end.

The young woman let out a howl of frustration, storming over to the window and slamming it shut. She tossed the dictionary aside and massaged her temples, trying in vain to calm herself. Once she had managed to fight down the urge to literally skin a cat, she made her way back down the corridor, walking up to her bedroom door with calm and quite footsteps. She could only imagine how Crona must be feeling, and from the state of her apartment she knew he would react badly to any sudden or loud movements.

"Crona?" she knocked on her bedroom door lightly, pressing her ear to the wood. But all she heard was silence, and when she tried to open the door it didn't budge, the door cold and unyielding.

The pink haired swordsman had obviously locked the door from the inside, and Maka sighed, digging in her pocket for her bunch of keys, searching for her spare bedroom key. She found the right key and checked the key hole, making sure the key was out the other side. When she was sure the hole was empty she slipped the key in and slowly unlocked the door, making sure the click of the lock was as inaudible as possible.

When there was no reaction from the other side Maka opened the door slowly, peaking around it slowly. But she pulled back instantly, watching as one of her teddies went flying past her face, the little orange plush bouncing as it skidded down the corridor.

"Stay back, bitch! I'm not afraid to hurt you!"

Maka recognised Ragnarok's voice immediately, and she stepped back into the room, palms raised in front of her, "Ragnarok, its okay! It's me, Maka!"

The sight that met her eyes made her all the more enraged at the magical pest that shared her home. Crona sat huddled up on her bed, her pink blankets held tightly around him as he shivered and shook, clinging to her pillow for dear life, his face buried in it. Ragnarok leaned over his Meister's head, balled hand resting protectively in Crona's pink hair while the other waved one of Maka's other teddies to and fro, brandishing it like some dangerous weapon. Sweat beaded on the little demons head, and his eyes were wide with obvious fear and desperation.

Seeing who it really was, Ragnarok went still, dropping the teddy to the bed below. He stared at her in silent disbelief before collapsing on his pink haired companions head, seemingly exhausted.

"Hey Crona, look, we've been saved! You're not going to be raped after all! Thank _fuck_!"

The swordsman still didn't look up, his shoulders shaking, and Maka moved over to him, climbing onto the bed. Crona made a startled sound and shrunk back, but he went still as he felt Maka's arms come around him, the young woman pulling him to her. She made soothing sounds in her throat as she snuggled up to him, tucking his head into the crook of her neck, nuzzling him and Ragnarok affectionately.

"It's okay, Crona. I promise, I won't let that cat come near you again, I'll make sure of that!"

The young man looked up from his pillow, eyes wide and teary. He released the pillow and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close desperately. Maka smiled into his hair and sighed, letting her fingers brush up and down his back soothingly. Her wavelength warmed and wrapped itself around his own, soothing it and calming him down as it embraced him.

Crona stopped shivering, relaxing in the warmth that washed over him in waves. It was such an amazing, homey feeling. He felt heat move through his veins, warming him from the inside out, making his heart beat slow down and his breathing regulate to a slow and steady rhythm.

But as he sat there, his arms held tightly around her, he realised what position he was in. He could smell the warm skin of her neck just a hairs breath away from his lips, and he could clearly feel her breasts moving up and down against his chest as she breathed, her warm breath washing over his hair. Even her fingers felt like they were caressing him, moving with agonising slowness across his back, her nails tugging at the material of his robe slightly.

It was all just too much, and soon his heart rate quickened yet again, his cheeks burning bright red. He breathed in the smell of her, his mind reeling at the unique smell she had. She smelled of mint and lemons, with the slightest tinge of books mixed in. It was overwhelming, and he suddenly found himself pulling her closer, holding her to him as tightly as he possibly could.

But the sound of Ragnarok's wicked laughter alerted him as to what was happening, and he quickly pulled away, hiding his blush from her. He looked away, feeling her curious green eyes gazing at him, the fact that she was still holding onto him burning into his senses like a branding iron.

"Crona, are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Maka asked, moving her hands down to take his own hands in hers, resting them in her lap. His skin felt hot to the touch, and she frowned slightly, looking up at him curiously.

"I-I-I'm f-f-fine. R-really! I'm s-s-sorry about your a-apartment, M-Maka!"

The blond Meister smiled as Crona turned back to her, his eyes downcast. She squeezed his hands gently, and he squeezed back in return, making her smile grow all the wider.

"It's okay! I don't blame you for what happened! I'll clean it up in no time!"

Crona smiled slightly in relief, straightening up. He looked her in the eye, grey meeting green, and his smile suddenly fell away, melting off his face in an instant.

"Your father, w-what did he have to say?"

Maka stared at him in confusion for a moment, before smiling from ear to ear, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Crona, you won't believe what Lord Death gave us! I can't really believe it either!"

She dug into her shirt pocket and pulled out the two blue tickets, waving them about happily. Crona stared at them in confusion, large grey eyes uncomprehending. Maka saw his expression and smiled all the wider, revealing her pearly white teeth to him.

"Here, take it!" she offered eagerly, holding out one of the blue tickets for him. With a tentative hand the Demon Swordsman took the offered piece of card, his eyes moving over it slowly.

"It's a…" he murmured, not quite sure what it was exactly. He tried to work it out for himself, but with his terrible upbringing and total lack of contact with the outside world, Crona couldn't even imagine what it was he was holding. But from the look of joy and excitement in the blonde's eyes, he could tell it was something good.

"It's a cruise ticket Crona! Lord Death is giving us tickets to go on a two week long cruise on a ship! Isn't that amazing! We get to relax, swim, and have fun for as long as we want!"

Crona stared at her, comprehension dawning upon him like a tidal wave. It came crashing down around his head with a crash, and he shrank back, his expression suddenly fearful.

"I-I d-don't k-know Maka…I-I…"

Maka cocked her head to one side, gazing at him thoughtfully, "What, what's the matter?"

Crona shook slightly, looking down at the card in his hand, "I-I've never b-been on a cruise before…I-I d-don't know h-how to d-d-deal with i-it!"

Maka stared at him for a moment, before smiling gently, taking his hand again, "Crona, it's okay! You won't be on your own, I promise! I'll be with you every step of the way; you don't have to be frightened!"

Crona looked down at their entwined hands, thoughts racing through his mind. The thought of spending two whole weeks on holiday was terrifying, not to mention he had only been on a ship once before, and that was to devour a horde of souls and to battle against Death the Kid. How was he supposed to deal with something like that? And he would just embarrass himself in front of Maka, which was inescapable. How was he ever going to handle something like this?

Then, looking down at her hand, he remembered his promise. His promise to stay with her and keep her safe for as long as possible. It hit him like a solid brick to the head, and his fear was suddenly pushed aside, the weight of it falling to pieces like sand in the breeze.

Maka felt his fingers tighten around hers, and she watched as he looked up, grey eyes soft, his white pupils standing out in stark contrast against the grey.

"Alright Maka. I'll come with you if you want me to," he said, his voice tinged with the slightest hint of nerves. He fidgeted on the spot slightly, waiting for her reply, his eyes watching her face to see her reaction.

Maka stared at him for a moment, before smiling happily, rushing forward to hug the startled swordsman yet again. She buried her face in his shoulder and laughed the sound ringing through the room like a happy melody.

"Of course I want you to come with! Thank you, Crona! You have no idea how much this means to me!"

But from the feelings resonating from her soul wavelength, Crona could easily tell just how much it meant to her, and he couldn't help but smile.

* * *

The pair rose early the next day, Crona and Ragnarok staying over for yet another night. Crona stirred on the couch, dressed in one of Soul's oversized black shirts and pants, his eyes opening sluggishly before closing again as the pink haired male turned over to bury his face in the couch back, tugging the blanket around him tighter.

But Ragnarok had other ideas, and with a delighted chuckle burst from Crona's back, making the swordsman's eyes flash wide open. But before he could react Ragnarok began to tug at his hair viciously, laughing and shouting eagerly.

"Come on Crona, wakey-wakey! Don't be such a lazy shit! Get up off your ass and make us some breakfast!"

"Ragnarok, no! Stop it, you're hurting me! Ow! Don't pull my hair! Ouch, that hurts! _Enough, I've had enough!_"

"I'll stop when you get me some god damn food! Now get off your fat ass and get me something to stuff my face with!"

"My ass…I-I mean, my butt is not fat!"

"Shut up, you do have a fat ass! You're curvier than half the girls you know! Now go get me some food!"

Crona gave in, falling off the couch with a crash. He staggered to his feet helplessly, trying to pry Ragnarok off his head without much success, the little demon tugging at his hair like a bull rider. Laughing evilly the Demon Sword steered his Meister to the fridge and pulled it open, hitting the door into Crona's face in the process.

"That's more like it! Now let's see, what food is there to eat in this dump! Holy shit, most of the stuff in this damn thing is utter crap!" he declared, tossing stuff onto the floor without a care. But without warning he let out a screech of delight, reaching both hands into the fridge and pulling out a large tub of jelly. The bowl was almost bigger than he was, and he let out a squeak of exertion, propping the bowl up on Crona's head.

"Now that's more like it!" he cried, slamming the fridge door closed with a bang. He tugged at Crona's hair to revive his semi-conscious Meister, not even remotely aware of how much damage he had done to the poor swordsman.

"Come on Crona, get it in gear! Move your ass and sit yourself down on that couch over there!"

The pink haired man swayed on the spot, looking this way and that, "Oooh no, I'm seeing stars again! I don't know how to deal with stars right now!"

Ragnarok rolled his eyes, shoving his Meister towards the couch, "You'll feel better when you get to the couch, now move it!"

Crona had just managed to reach the couch and sit himself down when he heard a call from Maka's bedroom, the familiar sound of her voice making him snap to attention faster than ever.

"Crona, Ragnarok, come over here!"

"Hahaha, you see Crona? She wants you _bad_!" Ragnarok snickered, making suggestive noises as he danced above Crona's head. The sounds he made caused the young man to blush several shades of red, but he pushed the demon aside, making his way towards Maka's room. Ragnarok simply grinned before diving head first into the bowl of jelly, licking and snapping at it hungrily.

Crona opened Maka's bedroom door and stepped inside tentatively, looking about to find the rooms only occupant. He found her sitting on her bed cross legged, dressed in a tight fitting pink pyjama top with light green shorts, her white laptop perched on her lap. His eyes shot to her chest, eyeing her rounded breasts through the revealing shirt before looking away, the swordsman suddenly becoming very interested in the carpet at his feet.

"Y-yes Maka? Y-y-you called us?" he stuttered, pawing at the ground nervously. Ragnarok raised his head from the bowl to stare at the woman before them, his head glossy and sticky from the bits of jelly caked over his inky skin.

"Yeah Tiny Tits, what do ya want?"

Maka looked up from the laptop screen, cocking her head to one side as she took in the sight of them. Her eyes lingered on Crona for a moment longer, and his cheeks burned wildly.

Why was she looking at him like that?

After a moment of silence Maka smiled, beckoning them to come and sit beside her. Crona hurried over to her and sat next to her, huddling up and wrapping his arms around his legs. Ragnarok took a moment to give the two Meisters the evil eye before diving back into his jelly, slurping and smacking his lips hungrily.

"I've been doing some research on the cruise we're going on, and I found some pretty interesting stuff! Look, I even found the planner and routine for the passengers on board!" she declared, pointing proudly at the screen. Crona leaned over her to get a good look at the screen, his head tilted at a funny angle. He stared at it for a while, his eyes roving over the page Maka had selected, taking every word and detail in.

But one thing caught his eye, and he stared at it in shock, his jaw going slack.

"A-a-a d-d-dance?" he stuttered, his mind reeling. There were countless other things on that planner that made him want to scream and run, but _that_ was just too much. He'd been to parties before, most of them at Kid's house, but it had never been anything like a ball or formal dance. The thought of large ballrooms full of people, no, _couples _dancing scared him senseless.

And Maka only added fuel to the fire, not realizing just what she was implying, "Yip, and it's no ordinary dance either! It's February now, and the Caribbean has tons of Festivals during this month! It's going to be more like a Valentine's Ball! Just something fun for the passengers to do on one of the last nights aboard! It's going to be amazing!"

Crona visibly slumped, his face sickly and pale. Ragnarok snickered above him, leaning down to whisper in Crona's ear, "Ha ha, you are _sooo _fucked!"

Maka noticed her friend's obvious lack of enthusiasm, and she felt her spirits sink a little. Would he refuse to join her when the time came? Would she have to go to the dance without him? For some reason beyond her this thought made her more depressed than ever, her heart sinking right down to her stomach. But she strengthened her resolve, promising herself that no matter what, Crona would come with her, even if she had to drag him there by the ankles.

No one could ever tell her she lacked determination.

Leaving Crona to read the list for a while longer the green eyed Meister bounced herself off the bed and to her wardrobe, opening the doors wide. She began to rummage through her clothes frantically, throwing items out onto carpet behind her with obvious distaste. Often she would pause and hold up an outfit to the mirror, pressing it to her form and twisting this way and that, before letting out a growl and throwing it to one side, her eyes blazing with obvious frustration.

Crona instantly became distracted, his eyes moving to watch the blond sort through her clothes. He watched as outfit after outfit was banished from her wardrobe, the floor soon completely covered with her once favourite outfits, and he raised a slim pink eyebrow, curious as to what would happen next.

"Argh, this is impossible! Either these clothes don't fit me anymore, or they are just not appropriate for something like this! How the hell did this happen!"

Oh yeah, that's right. She'd never been to an island paradise before. Go figure…

Kicking the clothes aside in frustration she stomped back to her bed, flopping down beside Crona. The swordsman made sure to look at anything but her, his eyes focusing on a random pink skirt that had conveniently landed on the laptop screen before him, his eyes staring dead panned at the cross work stitching.

The last thing he needed at that moment was for her to release her frustration on any unsuspecting victims. Namely himself.

But Ragnarok wasn't as aware of the imminent danger as his Meister was, and he chuckled, waving a gloved hand at the fuming woman.

"You must have gotten fat! Poor little cow!"

A vein pulsed angrily on Maka's forehead, and as if by magic, a book appeared in her hand, the volume raised high above her head.

"Makaaaaaaaaa, CHOP!"

Ragnarok barely had time to scream as the book came down hard on his little head, his balled eyes almost falling right out his skull. With a splat he fell face first into his half empty bowl of jelly, red gloop flying everywhere as he hit the dessert hard.

Maka scowled, dropping the book onto the pile of clothes in front of her. She crossed her legs and stared at her hands in her lap, obviously trying to calm herself. After a while her tense body relaxed, and she closed her eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

Finally, her eyes flashed open, green eyes alight. Crona watched her curiously, cocking his head to one side as he watched his beloved companion bounce to her feet, the blond grabbing her cell phone of the nightstand beside her bed.

"Maka, what are you…?"

Maka turned to grin at him, her fingers dancing over the number pad of her mobile. She threw him a thumb's up before putting the phone on speaker, her eyes alight with obvious mischief.

It was at times like these that Maka looked shockingly like her insane side, and Crona didn't know whether to be scared or deeply excited.

The dial tone rang out in the now silent room, and after a few moments there was an audible click, the cell phone screen lighting up.

"_Maka, is that you sweetie?"_

"Hi Papa!" Maka called, smiling down at the phone. Crona slid off the bed and tip toed over to her, eager to hear the conversation between father and daughter. Even Ragnarok attempted to lift his head, but he ended falling into the jelly yet again, his neck too weak to support his aching head.

"_Hi hun, what's my darling little girl up to? Did you give Bla- I mean your friend the ticket?"_

"Yip! She got it all right!" Maka grinned, fighting down a chuckle. She could hear her father's cheer of delight on the other end, and it made her grin wickedly. Crona stared at the young woman in obvious confusion, not quite getting what was going on. He opened his mouth to question Maka, but she hurriedly pressed a finger to her lips, silencing him before he gave anything away.

"_That's great to hear sweetie pie! Now what did you call your loving Papa for, hmm?"_

"Oh, nothing much! You see Papa, my _friend_ and I don't have any clothes to take with us on the cruise tomorrow! You know how it is for girls! Is it okay if you could transfer some money to my account so my _friend _and I could buy some new clothes?"

There was silence on the other end, Spirit obviously mulling it over. Crona began to get worried, but from the growing smile on Maka's face, he could tell everything was going as she had wanted it to.

And indeed it was. Images of Blair in teeny weeny bikini's and skirts were shooting through the Death Scythe's mind, not to mention his smiling daughter beaming up at him, full of love and gratitude to her beloved Papa for giving her a chance to buy the most stunning of luxuries.

His ex-wife had refused his offer to contribute money to his daughter's upbringing, and here his special little girl was asking for it from her devoted father. It was like a dream come true!

"_Of course Maka! Your Papa will get on it right away! Just make sure to check your account before you go! And you two must have fun shopping to your heart's content, okay?"_

Maka's grin stretched from ear to ear, her eyes alight with gratitude. Crona knew she would never admit it, but deep down she loved her Papa, and even though she was obviously extorting him, she did it with daughterly love.

The logic was grossly twisted, but then again, wasn't everything in this bizarre relationship?

"Thank you Papa! We will, I promise! See you tomorrow at the station!"

"_It was a pleasure sweetie! I'll see you two then! And remember, your Papa loves you more than anything else!_"

Maka laughed happily, ending the call with a delighted click. Crona watched her in astonishment, unable to believe what had just transpired.

"Wow, Maka…that was…" he murmured in awe, his eyes wide. Maka smiled wide, giving him her most glowing smile as she grabbed up the pink skirt from her laptop, bending over to pick up a white tank top and black pumps from the floor.

"Come on Crona, go get dressed! We're going shopping!"

The swordsman watched her charge off to the bathroom, the pink haired teenager standing rooted to the spot.

If Ragnarok was ever right about anything, it was this. He truly was royally _fucked_.

* * *

***gasp* A CRUISE? I doubt any of you saw that coming! *laughs wickedly at the viewers who fell flat on their faces at the bottom of the cliff* Now I'm really sorry if some of you are disappointed that there won't be any action packed witch fighting and Kishin's running around every where you look, but trust me, there is still tons of romance up ahead! Don't feel disheartened! :)**

**Also, many of you must be thinking, "Valentines Dance? That's so cheesy!" and yes, I agree, it's terribly cheesy, but I chose that specific one because in the Caribbean, February in the peak tourism month, since it's well away from Hurricane season. I seriously doubt Crona would know how to deal with Hurricanes, so I chose February! And look, what commercial holiday falls smack bang in February? VALENTINES DAY! Lol! Crona is in for so much shit, and he knows it!**

**Oooh, and their going shopping in the next chapter! YAY FOR SPENDING ALL OF PAPA'S MONEY! Poor Spirit, Maka is so evil! 8D**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter! Please leave a review on the way out! I need to know if the characters are in character! AND NO FLAMES! I WILL BANISH YOU FROM THE CRONA CIRCLE IF YOU DARE THROW YOUR DIRTY FLAMES AT ME! AND RAGNAROK WILL EAT YOU! 8D**

**Ragnarok: FUCK YEAH! **

**Thank you to all of those lovely viewers who fav, alerted, and commented on this story! You guys made my day, you really did! 3**


	3. Embarrassing Situations

**Embarrassing Situations**

Maka tore through the streets of Death City, her long pig tails trailing out behind her like ribbons. Green eyes shone with excitement, and she spun on the spot, running backwards as she called out to her companions behind her.

"Come on Crona! Catch up!"

The lanky teenager in question forced down a whimper, staggering along behind her. Ragnarok lounged spitefully on his head, laughing maliciously into his partner's ear.

"You heard her dumb ass, faster! Seriously, Black Star needs to get you to work out more. You're pathetic!"

This caused Crona to pale visibly, and he shook his head, breaking out into a faster run than before, legs stretching out as far as his robes would allow.

"N-no! Not that! I don't know how to deal with more of his work outs! He almost killed me last time!"

"Well then get your ass moving! Whiny little shit!"

Crona finally managed to catch up to the bubbly Meister, falling in beside her. She smiled happily beside him and slowed her pace, her long strides slowing down to a walk. Crona let out a relieved whimper, his feet stumbling along in exhaustion as he followed Maka down the street.

Maka noticed his exhaustion, and she scratched the back of her head, her expression apologetic, "Sorry Crona…I guess I got a little over excited. I didn't realise how far away the apartment was from here! Are you okay?"

"N-no, it's okay Maka, r-r-really! I'm fine!" Crona replied, one eyebrow twitching, staggering this way and that in a hopeless attempt to walk in a straight line.

It didn't take a genius to see that he was lying through his teeth.

Maka stared at him before sighing and shaking her head, moving over to him with confident strides. Crona let out a gasp as she grabbed hold of his hand, pulling him close to her side as she walked.

"You'll fall over if you carry on like this. Here, let me help you out," she smiled, lacing her fingers through his and pulling him along gently.

The timid swordsman looked down at their entwined hands, grey eyes wide. This certainly wasn't the first time they had held hands, in fact they did it often, but no matter how many times it happened, he couldn't help but feel amazed every time. Her hand was soft and elegant, her long fingers fitting perfectly between his own, her hand just the slightest bit smaller than his. And no matter what, her hand was always warm against his skin, her skin heated to the touch.

It blew his mind away, and it always took him a few minutes to remove his mind from the daze it would fall in the moment they touched. He doubted that would ever change, and for reasons he knew all too well, he didn't mind.

Maka suddenly came to a stop, and Crona shook himself out of his stupor, snapping to attention. Blinking hard he looked around, his eyes going wide as realization hit home.

In the time that he'd been dozing they'd come all the way down the hill to the Death City Mall, the huge shopping centre looming before them. It was elaborately shaped, and the front entrance was in the shape of a skull, the white skull rounded to form a dome. The large parking lot was filled with cars and bystanders, citizens of Death City hurrying to finish their weekly shopping.

Crona had only been there a few times since he had joined the gang, mostly to go out for dinner and a movie when they had one of their outings. He'd never actually shopped for anything there, since Lord Death provided him with all the things he needed due to his lack of a supporting family.

Maka grinned eagerly as she took in the sight of the mall, eyes alight. She never got to come here often either, and she was looking forward to actually being able to buy stuff instead of simply window shopping. Hurriedly she took her phone out of her carrier bag, checking her mail as fast as her fingers would allow her.

"Wow, what do you know? He actually did it! And gosh, that's a _lot _of money! Crona look!"

She showed her companion the message, watching as his eyes went wide. Ragnarok stared at it with large eyes, cross eyebrows raised high.

"Holy _shit_! Your father sure loves you, girly!"

"You mean he sure loves bikinis and the cat that wears them. But yeah, I hear that from him all the time. I guess this is a bit much, even for him." Maka murmured, staring at the phone in disbelief. But soon she was smiling again, and she shoved the phone back in her little black bag, slipping the strap once more over her shoulder.

"Are you really going to spend all of that?" Crona asked in awe, his mind reeling. He watched as Maka straightened her pink skirt and white tank top, the swordsman trying his best not to notice the way the top had become slightly too small for certain attributes of her body.

Maka looked up at him, smiling from ear to ear, "Of course I am! We've got a lot of stuff to buy, and remember, we're buying stuff for someone else here too!"

Crona cocked his head to one side, not quite understanding what she had just tried to imply, "W-who else are we b-buying stuff f-for?"

The blond woman gave him a look of obvious confusion, before grinning, the light in her eyes scaring him senseless, "You, silly! You have absolutely no clothes at all, besides for the stuff you got from Kid and the other guys! You can't tour the Caribbean in that robe of yours, can you?"

The grey eyed young man felt the blood drain from his face, his body beginning to tremble. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he looked down at the ground, gripping the arm holding Maka's hand as if his life depended on it.

He'd never had to look for clothes in his life, let alone buy them. How was he supposed to choose something? He had no idea what size he was, and he didn't have the slightest idea what he wanted in the first place. What if nothing fitted him? What if he couldn't find a single thing he liked? And more importantly, what would Maka think of him in the clothes he'd choose?

To say he was terrified would be a horrific understatement.

"B-b-but I d-don't know how t-to deal with s-something like t-this! I've n-n-never shopped f-for clothes b-before!" Crona stuttered, pulling back as Maka tried to pull him towards the mall. Maka squeezed his hand reassuringly, smiling gently.

"It's okay Crona, I'll help you! You don't have to be frightened!"

But Crona refused, planting his feet in the ground and leaning back as Maka tried to pull him again. He shook his head furiously, strands of pink hair whipping every which way, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.

"Maka, I can't do it!"

"Yes you can!"

"No I _can't!_"

Maka had just about had enough. She grabbed his arm with both hands and tugged, straining comically in an attempt to pull him along with her. And to make matters worse Ragnarok was laughing at them, his head thrown back as he cackled wickedly.

"_Yes you can! _Come on Crona, please!" she cried, tugging all the harder. She felt him stiffen beneath her hands before relaxing, the cowardly Meister letting out a loud whimper as he bowed reluctantly to her wishes.

Slowly but surely she managed to drag the moaning young man towards the store, the blond giving out encouragements all the way there. Onlookers watched the odd pair with wide eyes, listening as the two friends argued back and forth as they wrestled each other, the two getting ever closer to the centres gleaming doors.

Finally, with a victorious cry Maka shoved Crona bodily through the glass doors, the Demon Swordsman letting out a cry of shock as he fell. In an attempt to catch himself he spun and grabbed hold of Maka, but the momentum pulled the startled Meister along with him, Maka letting out a cry of shock as she fell right after him. They hit the marble floor with a crash, and the two Meisters lay there, dazed and wide eyed, stars spinning around their heads.

"Ow…" Maka groaned, wincing and rubbing a hand across her forehead. She'd hit her head against something as she fell, but strangely, she didn't hurt as much as she thought she would. Something soft had slowed her fall, and she frowned, realizing just how odd that sounded.

Something _soft_?

Without warning she heard a groan from beneath her, and her eyes doubled in size, her pupils dilating. Slowly, fearful of what she might see she looked down, letting out a cry of shock at what she saw.

Crona lay beneath her, pink hair fanned around his head; his eyes screwed tightly shut, head turned to one side. Her body lay completely on top of him, her long legs spread over his own, and she could feel his body rising and falling beneath her as he breathed, her nerves picking up every part of her body that touched his.

Unable to help herself, Maka began to blush slightly, sweat beading on her forehead as blood rushed straight to her head. She'd never been in a situation as embarrassing as this.

Crona stirred, opening his eyes and letting out a moan. He looked about himself in shock before going still, his whole body tensing up as his eyes met hers. Grey eyes grew wide with horror, and his cheeks burned impossibly red, black blood darkening his skin an almost unnatural shade of red.

"M-M-M-Maka?" he gasped, trying desperately to ignore her body pressing into his. But such a feat was physically impossible, and he became acutely aware of the curves and dips of both their bodies, his nerves burning white hot. Not to mention the sight of her blushing face just a hairs breath away from his own was sending his mind reeling.

He had absolutely no idea how to deal with this.

"Crona! I'm so sorry!" Maka apologised hastily, sitting up as straight as a rod. But she instantly regretted it, realising at the last moment that she had gone from lying on top of him to straddling his hips, her thighs trapping him in place beneath her.

Maka found herself more flustered and confused than ever. Why was this such a big deal to her? She'd just fallen on top of him. Why did she have to react like some hormonal teenager?

Crona, on the other hand, was literally on the verge of passing out. Things had just gone from bad to just goddamn awful, and the poor swordsman wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and hide in the nearest corner. He tried his best to ignore her position above him, to ignore how her skirt had moved dangerously high up her thighs, and more importantly, the pressure of her resting quite literally on his hips.

If the warmth spreading to his abdomen and lower regions was anything to go by, he knew Maka had to get off of him, and she had to do it _fast, _before things got terribly awkward. I didn't know how to deal with his body reacting like this.

Thankful Maka was one of the most intelligent people he knew, and hurriedly she scrambled to her feet, getting off of him as fast as possible. Still blushing she scratched the back of her head, closing her eyes sheepishly.

"I shouldn't have pushed you like that…sorry Crona, really…" she laughed, giving him a little grin. Crona staggered to his feet and looked at the ground, waiting for his heart rate to slow.

"I-it's okay, M-Maka, I shouldn't h-have a-acted the w-way I did. I-It's my fault…"

Maka shook her head, smiling gently, "No, it's my fault. Don't blame yourself for everything; I should have been more considerate. Are you okay?"

Crona nodded, feeling the blood finally drain from his cheeks. He continued to stare at his feet though, not taking the risk of looking at her just yet. But as he stared he felt a tentative hand touch his, slim fingers hesitating before sliding through his own.

Without hesitation he responded, wrapping her hand in his. He stole himself and looked up, his chest tightening as he saw her smiling at him, green eyes kind and gentle.

"Let's go find us some clothes, okay?"

"Okay…Maka" he replied, smiling nervously in return. Her smile turned into an all-out grin, and she took off, pulling him along behind her.

Ragnarok took this moment to shoot out of Crona's back, reforming himself and resting his chin in Crona's hair. He looked down at his timid Meister, cross eyes large and rolling as he murmured in Crona's ear, "Well, I don't know about you, but _that _was fucking awkward!"

The swordsman nodded, looking down at his feet as he walked. He couldn't imagine it getting much more awkward than that, but he knew one thing for sure.

This was only the beginning. The worst was yet to come.

* * *

They'd been in the same store for about ten minutes now, and Crona was just about ready to collapse. Since the moment they had walked into that store Maka had begun to drag him along with her wherever she went, handing him article after article of clothing to carry as she chose different items for herself. This was the first time he'd ever gone shopping in his life, and he could already tell why Kid, Soul and Black Star hated it so much. But he would grin and bear it for Maka's sake. He was doing this for her after all.

But Ragnarok, on the other hand, was nowhere near as submissive as his Meister.

"For fuck's sake, you stupid cow! Grab what you want and go pay for this god damn shit!" Ragnarok shrieked, his voice comically high pitched as he threw his fists in the air and shook them at Maka, little vein pulsing wildly on his forehead.

The Meister glared daggers at him, snatching up a lone clothes hanger and throwing it at him, smiling happily as she heard him screech in agony behind her. Turning back to the clothing rack she tapped a finger against her lip thoughtfully.

"Let's see, I already brought myself some beach shorts and tops, but now I want something more…flowing…like a sundress! But what colour…?" she mused aloud to herself, moving different dresses aside as she searched for the right one.

"Why don't you just get yourself a fucking plastic bag and wear _that_? Cow…" Ragnarok hissed under his breath, burying his head in Crona's hair as he cradled his aching skull. Crona gritted his teeth angrily, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Ragnarok…" he warned, his patience for the rude demon wearing thin. Ragnarok pointed a gloved hand at Maka furiously, not bothering to look up from his hair.

"Don't growl at me, dumb ass! _She _started it!"

Crona ignored him, coming over to stand next to his closest friend, "Have you found anything you like?"

Maka nodded slowly, holding up a short, light blue sundress with thin spaghetti straps. She pressed it to her front and looked at herself in a nearby mirror, cocking her head to one side thoughtfully.

"Well, I found this one…what do you think? I like it, but…"

Crona looked her up and down, nodding nervously, "I like it. You look pretty, Maka!"

Maka smiled, looking up at him with large, characteristically blank eyes, "You think so?"

He nodded, and Maka looked in the mirror once more before handing it to him, dropping it on the pile of clothes he held in his arms happily.

She selected three more sun dresses after that, deciding to go all out. She also managed to find sandals that matched with all of them, much to her delight. After paying for them with her card she took her bags and dropped them behind the checkout counter, asking if the salesman could watch them for her.

Crona stared at her in obvious confusion, "Didn't you just pay for those?"

Maka nodded, "Don't worry, we're not finished yet! I'm just putting them there for now! We still need to get you clothes too, remember?"

Crona visibly paled, but he nodded, shaking on the spot. He followed her to the men's section of the store, eyes darting this way and that as he examined the clothes the store had to offer.

"This store is where all of us buy our clothes! We love it here! Soul and the other guys get their clothes from this place! Everything's supposed to be really comfortable and fashionable! I'm sure you'll find something you'll like!" Maka assured, stopping in the jeans section. Crona came and stood next to her, examining each item of clothing nervously.

Maka chewed her lower lip thoughtfully, looking him up and down, "The last clothes you wore you borrowed from Kid, so I guess you'd be his size…um, more or less. Let's see…oh, how about this!"

She held up a pair of long, rather plain looking jeans. Crona gave them a once over before shaking his head. Maka nodded, placing the jeans back on the rack thoughtfully.

After about five minutes and still no success, a shop attendant of about twenty came forward, his boyish face open and helpful, "You two doing okay?"

Maka shook her head, scowling at the rack of jeans, "I'm looking for some new clothes for my friend! We have no idea what to get him. Do you think you could help us?"

The young man gave Crona a long look, eyeing him up and down, eyebrows raised. Crona shook nervously under his gaze, eyes downcast as he waited for his verdict.

"You're pretty thin for someone your age. I've had to help customers like you a lot, believe it or not, so don't worry! I know _exactly _what to get for you. You like black, white and grey colours, right?"

Crona visibly brightened, looking up and nodding. The shop attendant smiled knowingly, beckoning for them to follow him.

"For one, you guys were in the totally wrong section, no wonder you couldn't find what you're looking for! But from the looks of you two, that's quite alright. I know just what you'd want!"

They stopped at a section with darker clothes than the rest of the store, and Crona watched as the kind attendant selected five pairs of jeans off the rack, all of them ranging from black to dark grey. The man then went on to choose different shirts, looking at Crona again and again as he tossed different items onto the growing pile. After a while he came back, carrying an armful of different clothes ranging from dull and dark colours to lighter, more vibrant ones.

"These should be your size. Why don't you head on down to those change rooms over there and try them on? We'll wait for you outside."

Crona nodded, looking at the clothes as he took them in his hands thoughtfully. He thanked the man and scurried off to the changing rooms, looking around at the other clothes in nervous awe as he went.

Maka smiled gratefully, folding her arms across her chest, "Thanks so much! I was beginning to lose hope for a moment there!"

The dark haired attendant nodded, blue eyes kind, "You're welcome. From the clothes he's wearing, I can tell he's kind of new to this, isn't he?"

Maka nodded, and he smiled, laughing gently, "Go figure. Well, I'm sure he'll like the clothes I've selected for him. His body's a lot thinner and curvier than most, so it would be hard for him to pull off clothes that most men his age would go for."

After a while Maka saw a timid pink haired head peep out from around the corner, Crona's eyes downcast and nervous, "M-Maka? C-c-can you come over h-here for a s-sec?"

Maka nodded, smiling to the attendant as he gave her a thumb's up. She walked over to the changing rooms and looked around the corner, only to find the corridor empty.

"Crona, are you there?" she called, looking around for her companion, eyebrows raised.

"O-over here!" she heard him call from the very back of the room, and she walked slowly there, stopping just outside the last cubicle.

"You find something? Can I look?"

After a moment of silence he answered in the affirmative, his voice shaky and full of nerves. Maka smiled gently, took a breath, and looked around the corner.

What she saw knocked the air right out of her lungs.

Crona stood shivering before her, dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a white belt standing out in stark contrast around his hips. He wore a white long sleeve button up shirt with large sleeve cuffs that seemed far too long for him, and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing the neckline of a charcoal grey shirt underneath. Crona fidgeted nervously on the spot, gripping his arm furiously, refusing to look at her as his face shone a bright pink.

Maka couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had only seen Crona in normal teenage boy clothes once or twice before, and those had been on rare occasions. And here he was pulling off an outfit that most girls would die over. She wasn't used to seeing him in this light at all!

To put it in a nutshell, he looked incredibly handsome in his own shy, nervous kind of way.

"S-s-so…w-what do y-you think?" Crona asked nervously, still refusing to look at her as he shivered helplessly on the spot. Maka smiled and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him before he could react.

"You look amazing, Crona! We should have gone shopping like this a long time ago! You look great!"

Crona's eyes went wide, and looked down at himself as she pulled away, pressing his two pointer fingers together, "R-really?"

"You're friend's right. I knew these clothes would work," their new found favourite shop attendant said, grinning at the two of them as he examined his handiwork. Crona smiled bashfully, looking down at the clothes once more.

"Th-thank you!"

"No problem! We'll wait for you outside while you try the rest of the stuff on. We'll see if there's anything else you'd like."

Maka gave Crona one last smile before following the shop attendant out, the blond eager to find more outfits for her friend.

The swordsman smiled to her as she left before moving on to the rest of his clothes, trying on one outfit after the other. He was surprised to find that he liked all of them, examining himself in the stall mirror with wide eyes.

"I've never worn anything like this before…" he murmured, looking himself up and down. Ragnarok burst from his back to look at him as well, white eyes wide.

"Hey, I'm just as shocked as you are! You don't look as much like a chick as you usually do! I think I'm going to cry with joy!"

Crona smiled, ignoring the insult with the trained ease of spending years as Ragnarok's partner. He knew it was as much of a compliment he was ever going to get from the little demon, so he didn't mind.

"And Maka seemed to like it too…" he murmured quietly, blushing slightly as he remembered the way she'd looked and smiled at him.

"What, are you blind? She was drooling all over you!"

Crona stiffened, his eyes going wide, "Y-you think so?"

"Yip! I'm certain of it! I'm not as much as an idiot as you, you know! Just be on the lookout, at this rate she might even end up raping you!" Ragnarok chuckled darkly, making Crona blush wildly.

"Sh-shut up!"

"But then again, it's not rape if you let her do it! And we both know you wouldn't stop her, would you Crona?" Ragnarok sneered into his ear, grinning wickedly as he ruffled Crona's hair.

The swordsman looked down at the carpet at his feet, eyes dark. He remembered how she had looked above him earlier, the way she'd blushed as she straddled him, her skirt rising up her pale thighs, their bodies close in ways he had only ever been able to imagine.

And as much as he was ashamed to admit it, Ragnarok was right. He would never be able to stop her.

* * *

They got home late that night, the two Meisters beyond exhausted. They'd been forced to call a taxi at the mall to pick them up; it would have killed them if they'd had to carry all that shopping back up to the apartment. Crona had barely survived the trip down; there was no way he'd survive the trip back _up_, even without the metric ton of shopping. On the way they had stopped by the Academy so Crona could get the rest of the stuff he would be taking with on the trip, the lanky Meister running in as fast as his beyond exhausted body would allow.

After a dinner of curry and rice, which Maka was pleasantly surprised to find had not burnt to a crisp like it usually would under Soul's ever watchful eye, the Meisters and their odd demonic companion retired to Maka's bedroom, reluctantly taking the task of packing their suitcases. Maka took the two biggest suitcases she had down from the top shelf of her wardrobe and dropped them onto her bed, letting out a groan of exertion.

"These two should work. We never use them, since we don't actually travel for very long. I'm glad I kept them now, we would have been in trouble if we didn't!"

Well, not really. She had tons of money left over from Papa; she could have just bought bags. Not even she could spend it all in one day. But she was keeping the rest for the trip itself. They still hadn't brought formal outfits for the Valentines Ball, since she knew the dresses and suites to buy on the ship itself would be far better than the dresses they had for sale here. It would certainly be more expensive, but she didn't mind that. She had more than enough for that.

Thank god for overzealous fathers.

Walking over to her wardrobe Maka began to take out all the essentials, folding them neatly and placing them in her large green suitcase. Crona followed suite and began to pack his things in his own suitcase, folding up the clothes he'd bought and the things he had collected from his room.

Ragnarok watched them for about five minutes, looking between the two of them. But this could only entertain him for so long, and eventually he began to throw a tantrum, pummelling his Meister mercilessly.

"Come on Crona, let's go do something interesting! I'm bored out of my mind! Why do I have to sit here and watch you dip shits pack your crap away? Can't we go watch TV?"

"No Ragnarok, I'm busy!" Crona whined, trying to pry the demon off his head. But Ragnarok was persistent, and he began to punch Crona's head over and over again.

Once upon a time, Ragnarok's punches would have knocked Crona senseless, but now they were almost perfectly harmless due to his lack in size. But he could still do damage when he wanted to.

Unfortunately for the weapon, Crona didn't even bother retaliating, deciding to just ignore his partner's childish tantrum. Continuing to fold up clothes and stick things in various corners of his black suitcase, Crona seemed totally oblivious to his weapons whimpers and desperate punches.

Maka stopped packing to watch the scene before her, stifling a giggle as Ragnarok began to sob openly, collapsing on Crona's head pathetically.

"Why does this always happen to me! God damn it Crona, I hate you, I really, really hate you!" Ragnarok cried, bouncing his little fists off the swordsman's hair.

The Scythe Meister came over and began to pat Ragnarok's head soothingly, smiling kindly, "It's okay Ragnarok, why don't I help Crona out so we can finish quicker? Then I can go run a bath for you two so you can clean up a bit? Does that sound nice?"

Ragnarok turned to glare at her, obviously unimpressed by the belittling tone of her voice. He could tell she was mocking him to some extent, "A _bath_? Is _that _the best idea you can come up with? How is that even remotely entertaining?"

Maka smiled, cocking her head to one side slightly, "Well, it's not just any normal bath! It's a bubble bath!"

Ragnarok stared at her for a moment, his eyes wide, "Are you being fucking serious?"

Maka nodded, eyes closed sheepishly, "Yip!"

"…Whatever! I'll do it, anything's better than this shit!"

But Maka could see he was interested, and it made her giggle to herself as she began to help Crona pack, helping him with the last few things he had left. Ragnarok tried to act like a violent and destructive bully, and he certainly was, but he had a childish side that was undeniable cute.

After she had finished helping them pack and had run their bubble bath for them Maka went back to packing on her own, humming a tune to herself as she packed in the rest of her clothes. When she decided she was finished she placed a finger on her lip thoughtfully, looking into her brimming case with blank eyes.

"I know I'm forgetting something…"

Suddenly it came to her in a rush, and she face palmed herself, rolling her eyes, vein pulsing furiously on her forehead.

"Of course! I forgot my underwear! I seriously have to wake up…"

She scurried back to her wardrobe and dug through its drawers, pulling out all her bras and panties and rolling them into a neat bundle. She made her way back to her case and began to search for an open space to stuff it in.

She searched about four minutes before cursing angrily under her breath, clenching her fists tightly.

Damn it. There was absolutely nowhere in her bag to stuff it in. And she couldn't make space herself; there was nothing she could do without.

"Oh come on! What am I supposed to do now?"

She thought desperately for a solution, pacing this way and that. Finally an idea came to her, and she charged off to the bathroom, dropping her underwear on the top of her bag as she went.

Her plan was desperate, but hey, desperate plans call for desperate measures.

Stopping outside the bathroom door Maka drew in a deep, calming breath before knocking on the door, pressing her ear to the wood as she called out to her friend, "Crona?"

There was a cry of alarm from the other side, followed by a splash and vicious laughter. Chaos ensued a few moments afterwards as she heard shouting and splashing from the other end, and she waited patiently before knocking again, her eyebrows pulled low in a suspicious expression.

"Crona, are you okay? Is Ragnarok trying to drown you?"

There was a moment of silence before she heard an answer from within, Crona's voice layered thick with false joviality.

"What? Me? N-no! Umm…y-you want a-anything?"

Maka drummed her fingers against the door nonchalantly, trying her best to sound innocent and convincing, "Oh, nothing much! Sorry for bothering you, but do you have any space in your suitcase?"

There was a pause, "Um, yes, quite a bit. Why?"

"I ran out of space in mine, and I have something that won't fit! Do you mind if I put it in your bag? It's nothing big, I promise!"

"Of course, Maka! I don't mind, really!"

Maka grinned, thanking him happily before charging back to the bedroom, eager to stash her precious goods in the unsuspecting swordsman's bag.

In the bath, Crona listened to her retreating footsteps, not even daring to breath, his body twisted at a bizarre angle as he arched backwards above the water, his arms pressing down on something below the surface. When he was sure she was gone he sighed, looking down to the swirling depths of the water he was in. With a little whimper he straightened up and released whatever it was he was holding, water dripping off his pale skin in rivulets.

With a shriek Ragnarok shot out the water, coughing and hacking violently as he tried to force all the water out of his lungs, sparkling bubbles covering him all over. Crona reached around and patted his little onyx back until the tiny demon spewed up all the water from his lungs, tears falling from his rounded eyes.

Once Ragnarok had regained his composure, the little demon grabbed Crona by the ears and pulled him right back, making the young man scream as his neck was twisted at a painful angle. Ragnarok leaned his face right up to Crona's, eyes narrowed with violent rage, a large vein pulsing angrily on his forehead.

"_The HELL was that for, you stupid fuck! You just tried to _drown _me! What did I do to deserve that? I'm going to kill you, I swear I will!"_

"But you were going to open the bathroom door! Ow, ow, ow! Ragnarok, stop! You know I couldn't let you do that! OW! Quit it!"

"No! I'm tired of this crap! Don't be such a coward!"

The two of them wrestled in the bath tub, spilling water everywhere. After a while the attack turned to minor pummelling before stopping altogether, Ragnarok settle down to just mutter curses and insults under his breath.

Crona slumped in the bath, examining the damage they had done. The floor was literally flooded, the towels and floor mats completely soaked.

Maka was going to kill them. And he had a feeling she'd enjoy doing it.

Closing his eyes the swordsman sank back in the water, allowing Ragnarok to enjoy the water as well. After a few moments he could feel something on the top of his head, and he looked up, tilting his head back slightly.

Ragnarok was busily working above him, placing bubbles on the top of his pink hair happily, balled hands sculpting away at it, his long tongue poking out of the side of his mouth comically as he concentrated.

"W-What are you doing?" Crona asked curiously, not at all fazed by the bubbles in his hair, slim eyebrows raised.

Ragnarok leaned over to look down at him before pointing eagerly at the cone shape on his Meister's head, seemingly delighted with his work.

"Look dumb ass! I made an idiot hat! You know, those hats the teachers put on the stupid students heads and make them sit in the corner like the little shits they are?"

Crona nodded, causing the little tower of bubbles to sway slightly, "Yeah, I know that. Thank you, it's very nice, Ragnarok."

"The pleasure is mine!" Ragnarok grinned, before seeming to notice something for the first time, "Hey, is that a rubber ducky?"

Crona nodded, plucking it out of the water and holding it up for his partner. Ragnarok hesitated for a moment, obviously trying to make up his mind about whether he wanted it or not, before snatching it up and beginning to examine it, turning it this way and that.

Crona sat patiently; waiting for the fiasco that he knew was bound to start.

He didn't have to wait long. After a few moments he heard the rubber ducky let out a loud, annoying squeak, followed by the maniacal laughter of his demonic partner. Crona looked back and watched with mild amusement as Ragnarok began to pommel the little toy mercilessly, causing it to squeal and squeak incessantly, the black demon laughing hysterically all the while.

After a while Crona climbed out the bath, Ragnarok tossing the ducky back into the bath with a malicious growl. They fished out two dry towels from the bathroom cupboard and began to dry themselves and their surroundings, mopping up the damage they had caused. Once they were dressed and the bathroom was in moderately the same condition they had found it in they left the bathroom and returned to Maka's room, switching off the bathroom light as they went along.

Pushing the door open to his friend's room Crona opened his mouth to announce his arrival, but he fell silent, the words dying on his lips.

Maka lay sprawled out across her bed, seemingly fast asleep. A thick book lay open across her chest, the novel rising and falling as she breathed. She'd taken her hair out of their pigtails, and the long locks of it fanned out across her pillow, strands of it curling and framing her pale face as she slept.

Crona watched her with wide eyes before smiling, moving quietly over to her. Gently, making sure not to wake her he slipped the book out of her grasp, carefully making sure to mark her page and placing it on her bed stand. Ragnarok, uncharacteristically quiet, leaned over his Meister's shoulder to get a good look at the book, reading the title out loud before making a sound of disgust.

"Blah, a romance novel. What a sap…" he whispered under his breath, just loud enough for Crona to hear. The swordsman ignored him, gazing down at his companion with affectionate grey eyes. He felt his chest swell with that all too familiar feeling, and he felt his eyes burn, small tears threatening to over flow.

He'd felt like this ever since he'd first met her, in that horrible church all that time ago. At first it had simply been attraction, the insane teenager finding her immensely attractive. Then she had lost her mind and gone through all that trouble to save him, risking her own life to bring herself close to him, and when she'd held him in her arms and held his hand while he cried, he had felt his heart swell in his chest, an unfamiliar sensation filling him to the brim. He'd felt so close to her, so warm and _safe_; it had been almost too much to bear. And as time had gone by and she'd become his closest friend, he'd realised he loved her more than anyone else in the entire world.

And then he betrayed her, doing as his sick and twisted mother had demanding of him. It hurt. Oh gods how it had hurt. That fateful night he had thought of Marie, how he had hurt her, he had thought of his mother, who had never really loved him. And he had thought of Maka, the person he cherished above all others, the person he would lay his life down for without a second thought. It was enough to send him to tears.

And finally, he had run away from her. He never wanted to. He'd wanted to fall into her arms and confess everything he had done and beg for her forgiveness. But Ragnarok had told him otherwise, telling him how Maka would get hurt and cry. That was what had made him leave. He couldn't see her get hurt, not over something he had done. He'd rather die alone than see her cry over someone like him.

And that's how she'd found him, stranded in the desert, desperate to be away from the people he had hurt and loved. He could still remember how he'd thought of her, how he'd tried to push her away.

_I've been somewhere like this before…a lonely place without water…that's where we met. My first friend found in a lonely place in a desert. It was like feeling sunlight for the first time…but we were as different as night and day. How could I ever let myself imagine our friendship would last? It was a nice dream I guess, but…it would be better if I could forget it…_

But it hadn't worked. No matter how hard he'd tried, no matter how loud he'd shouted at her, he couldn't push her away. He'd broken down and fallen in front of her and confessed everything he had done, falling to pieces before her eyes. And she'd held him, cried with him, pleaded with him to stop hurting himself. And hopelessly he had succumbed to her, holding her and crying into her shoulder until his tears where completely spent.

He was helpless against her. At first it had terrified him, scaring him to the very core of his being. But now it came naturally, and he couldn't even begin to imagine life without her.

Crona would never be rid of her, and he was perfectly content with that.

After all, what did he expect? This is what happens when you fall in love with someone the way he had.

Feeling tears beginning to trail down his cheeks Crona wiped them away, looking down at her, his throat clenching painfully.

"I don't deserve any of this, you know," he murmured softly, leaning over to pull her pink blankets over her sleeping form, tears still trailing down his cheeks, "I don't think I ever will. I'm just being selfish, carrying on like this."

Walking to the door, he glanced back over his shoulder, his lips quirking up in the smallest of smiles as he flipped the switch, sending her room into total darkness. But moonlight still flooded in through her wide bedroom window, lighting up the Meister's bed and causing her to glow slightly, her face lit up in an almost holy light.

The sight was absolutely breath taking.

"But…I don't think I mind. It's…nice…to be selfish…"

With that said he looked away and closed the bedroom door behind him, disappearing into the depths of their apartment. But if he had been paying closer attention to the world around him, he would have noticed the glowing golden eyes watching him from Maka's bedroom window, eyes alight with wicked intent.

Things were about to get _very _interesting.

* * *

**DUN DUN DAH! I wonder who THAT was hanging around outside Maka's bedroom window! X3 How VERY mysterious and stalkerish!**

**Gah, you guys have NO IDEA how hard it was to choose clothes for Crona that would actually look good on him! It is FUCKING DIFFICULT! If he wears baggy clothes he will look like a total bum who has no idea what he's doing, and if he wears tight looking clothes he will look gay (due to his thin and curvy body)! It was so hard I almost died! But I finally managed to come up with a list of stuff that will actually make him look cute and a little sexy at the same time. The outfit I described is my favorite, since it's very similar to the outfit he wore to Kid's party, and I must say, he looked damn fine there! XD And instead of wearing the shirt sleeves rolled up like most sexy teenage guys would do, he keeps them down. Unbuttoned and loose, but still down all the same, covering a little of his hand because they are a bit too long. That in my opinion is very cute, and not overly feminine looking. **

**Hehehe, and you see what I did there? I added a pervy moment! Poor Crona and Maka, how terribly awkward! I really felt bad for Crona while writing that part, but hey, let him go through with it and suffer! It's for the fans! And besides, he'll thank me later for what's going to happen later!**

**Crona: W-what do y-you mean? *fearful***

**Ragnarok: IT MEANS YOU'RE GOING TO GET LAID, DUMB ASS!**

**Crona: *faints and crumbles into a tiny heap***

**Me: NOW SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE! YOU'VE KILLED HIM! AND YOU SPOILED THE SURPRISE!**

**Ragnarok: *Plays with his rubber ducky before setting it on fire***

**Oh, and childish Ragnarok was inspired from episode 39. When I saw that episode, I realized just how childish he can be. Like in the desert when he kept whining and punching Crona in his temper tantrum, and when he was having that picnic with the gang. He is very much like a spoilt bully of a child. I can actually see him being amused the way he was in that bath tub with the bubbles and the rubber ducky. He wouldn't play with it like a normal child, but he would certainly have fun beating the shit out of it and listening to it scream. Hey, that's Ragnarok for you! Sorry if his actions seemed a little bit odd! :D**

**Please leave a review on the way out! AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE STILL REVIEWING AND FAVING! I LOVE YOU GUYS, I REALLY DO! 3**

**I'll try to update as fast as possible again! And be prepared, there will be even more hilarity it the up coming chapter! XD**


	4. More to what Meets the Eyes

**I usually don't write anything before a chapter, always after, but I just have to write this now.**

**I watched episodes 40 -45 of Soul Eater just recently, and I cried my eyes out through all of them. Poor, poor Crona! TT_TT I love him so much, and this just solidified my love for him. He is now my favorite character, and I think he's the most amazing character I've ever loved. *hugs him lovingly* And then, just after I watched those episodes, I heard a song that suits him so perfectly it made me want to cry again! It's one of Adam Lamberts new songs (gotta love Adam, he's such a dear! He should have one Idols hands down! I don't care if he's gay, he's amazing!), called Aftermath. If you don't listen to it, you're seriously missing out. It's like the song was written with specifically Crona in mind (and no, I'm not saying he's gay X_X). Just listen to it, k? :) I'm putting the lyrics up now, as a Crona dedication.**

**This is for you, love! :) WE LOVE YOU CRONA! You rule the world. **

**Aftermath:**

Have you lost your way?  
Livin' in the shadow of the messes that you made  
And so it goes  
Everything inside your circle starts to overflow

Take a step before you leap  
Into the colors that you seek  
You get back what you give away  
So don't look back on yesterday

Wanna scream out, no more hiding  
Don't be afraid of what's inside  
Gonna tell ya you'll be alright  
In the aftermath

Anytime anybody pulls you down  
Anytime anybody says you're not allowed  
Just remember you are not alone  
In the aftermath

You feel the weight  
Of lies and contradictions that you live with every day  
It's not too late  
Think of what could be if you rewrite the role you play

Take a step before you leap  
Into the colors that you seek  
You get back what you give away  
So don't look back on yesterday

Wanna scream out, no more hiding  
Don't be afraid of what's inside  
Gonna tell ya you'll be alright  
In the aftermath

Anytime anybody pulls you down  
Anytime anybody says you're not allowed  
Just remember you are not alone  
In the aftermath  
In the aftermath

Before you break you have to shed your armor  
Take a trip and fall into the glitter  
Tell a stranger that they're beautiful

So all you feel is love, love  
All you feel is love, love

Wanna scream out, no more hiding  
Don't be afraid of what's inside  
Wanna tell you you'll be alright  
In the aftermath

Wanna scream out  
No more hiding  
Don't be afraid of what's inside  
Gonna tell ya you'll be alright  
In the Aftermath

Anytime anybody pulls you down  
Anytime anybody says you're not allowed  
Just remember you are not alone  
In the aftermath

In the aftermath  
(Gonna tell ya you'll be alright)  
In the aftermath  
In the aftermath  
Just remember you are not alone  
In the aftermath

**More than what Meets the Eye**

The grinning sun shone brilliantly over the streets of Death City, lighting up the cobbled roads and reflecting off the water in the various fountains. Citizens and students bustled this way and that, enjoying their Sunday morning and appreciating what time they had before they had to go back to work at the start of the new week.

Well, at least _they _were happy. The same could not be said for Maka Albarn and her companions.

To say the least, Maka was thoroughly annoyed, and more than a little put out. They had woken up early as planned, they had everything packed and ready by the front door, everything had gone according to plan…or so she had thought.

But then they had lost one of the tickets, and all hell had broken loose in their little apartment. Tables had been turned over, books thrown everywhere, bed spreads ripped and torn apart in a mad dash to find the missing ticket. Ragnarok had even had a near death experience when Maka, screaming in desperation and frustration, had carelessly tossed one of the largest books ever seen over her shoulder, the book soaring through the air and going straight for Ragnarok's little head. The demon had screamed in terror, waving his arms in the air and struggling to move out of the deadly projectiles path, but it had been Crona who saved him in the end, the Demon Swordsman diving to the floor and curling up there, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

To say Ragnarok was enraged would have been a terrible understatement.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, they had found the missing ticket. Maka could have sworn she'd looked over the kitchen table a million times just moments before, but there it was, gleaming and winking at them evilly from the counter top. The blond gratefully snatched up the ticket, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something terribly wrong.

Hadn't her ticket been next to her bed last night?

Then, to make matters worse, it had taken her fifteen minutes to drag Crona out of the apartment. She had insisted that he wear the outfit he had tried on first yesterday, and he had succumbed to her wishes, but when it had come to getting him out onto the streets of Death City, he had outright refused. It was one thing being dressed like this in front of people he knew, but it was a totally different story to be in front of complete strangers.

Maka, at that point, became desperate, and had been forced to attack her companion. They were minutes away from being late for their train, and when Maka was pressed for time, she was anything but compassionate. Especially when Crona had absolutely nothing to worry about. He looked amazing, how could anyone think differently?

So with a growl and a glare, Maka had whipped out her book and slammed it down on Crona's head, sending the startled swordsman crashing to the ground, black blood spouting and trailing down from his skull. His slim form still twitching, Maka had hefted him to his feet and bodily pushed him out the front door, his suitcase coming close behind him, the teenager staggering this way and that.

Ragnarok had done his best to help his Meister, hardening his blood and stopping the bleeding, but it still took nearly ten minutes for Crona to regain full consciousness, the lanky teenager simply stumbling down the street in a mindless daze.

At that moment, Maka and Crona finally rounded a corner, the train station looming before them. The blond Meister let out a cry of relief, doubling over and letting her arms hang as she relaxed, her muscles unwinding themselves.

"Look Crona! We're here! And we're not late!"

"Yay…" the pink haired Meister mumbled, not sounding all that enthusiastic, his head hanging low and his one hand pressed to his skull. Maka looked to him and felt guilt stab at her gut, her expression concerned.

She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, but there was suddenly a loud, booming cry from the train station, the train letting out a warning to its passengers. Maka's eyes went wide, and she grabbed Crona's hand, beginning to drag him along with her as they made a mad dash for the platform.

"If Papa isn't there already, I'm going to kill him!" she hissed, her pale blue sundress swaying around her thighs as she ran, white sandals clicking angrily on the cobbles. But she remembered what was just about to transpire, and she smiled wickedly, eyes alight with malicious intent.

She wouldn't have to kill him. He would do it all by himself.

They stepped up onto the train platform, and it took mere seconds for the pair to locate the Death Scythe. In all honesty, they didn't have to try very hard.

Spirit was standing atop a small mountain of luggage, one hand pressed to his forehead as he scanned the crowd comically. He was dressed in khaki beach shorts, silly flip-flops on his feet and a ridiculous green and white Hawaiian shirt, the buttons undone to reveal a white men's tank top underneath. A pair of overly large sunglasses was perched precariously on his head, and when he spotted his daughter and her companions making their way through the crowd towards him he jumped in excitement, sending the glasses falling to the floor at the bottom of the pile.

Maka watched unimpressed as her father slipped and slid down the pile of luggage, landing on his glasses with a horrible crack, shattering them instantly. He didn't even appear to notice them as he charged happily towards his daughter, pulling her into a delighted hug.

"Maka sweetie, I knew you'd be here on time! Did you have fun shopping yesterday? Are you excited about the trip?"

"Yes Papa," Maka muttered, pulling herself from his embrace. Spirit seemed to notice Crona for the first time, and he looked the teenager up and down, from his messy pink hair to his black converse shoes, the Scythe grinning with blissful ignorance.

"Looks like you went shopping too, Crona! You look great! Glad to see you joined the realm of manhood!" Spirit grinned, punching Crona's shoulder gently. The swordsman blushed and looked at his feet, muttering a timid hello.

Oblivious as always Spirit clapped a hand to Crona's shoulder and smiled, tilting his head to get a look at Crona's face, "So, you came to say goodbye to my dear daughter, huh? That's so nice of you! And I see you helped her with her bags too! Such a nice boy! I'd almost let you date her!"

The glare Maka gave her obnoxious father promised him a slow and painful death, but then a sweet, slightly evil smile spread across her lips, "Actually Papa, I was going to tell you! But it completely slipped my mind! Crona's going to be coming with us! Blair can't make it anymore!"

Spirit continued to grin, his eyes closed, seemingly unaffected by the news his daughter had just dropped on him. But Crona felt the man's grip on his shoulder tighten, and he looked up at the red head nervously, waiting for the inevitable.

Needless to say, the explosion was spectacular.

"_WHAT?"_ he screamed, grabbing Crona by the shoulders and gaping at him, giving him a violent shake. Crona's eyes went wide, sweat beginning to bead on his face, and he stared up at Spirit in terror, visibly shrinking on the spot.

Maka prepared to attack her father, already reaching for her book, but Spirit fell to the floor before she could react, curling in on himself and beginning to weep openly at Crona's feet, his shoulders heaving.

"I don't believe this! How could this be happening! Sweet, beautiful, curvaceous Blair was supposed to come join me! How could this happen to me! And not only that, but my daughter, my little Maka, is bringing a boy along! A _boy_! _Everything I know I wrong!_"

Crona stared at the man at his feet in bewilderment, eyebrows raised high. Even Ragnarok couldn't find it in himself to make a smart-ass comment, staring at the man with large Ping-Pong ball eyes, looking between them all curiously.

After a while of simply glaring down at her father, Maka took Crona's hand and pulled him along to the ticket booth, unceremoniously pulling the three train tickets from her traumatized father's short pockets. Crona trailed along behind her, looking over his shoulder all the way.

"I-is h-h-he going to b-be okay, M-Maka?" he asked nervously, gripping his arm for dear life. The Meister simply shrugged, not looking all that concerned.

"He'll get over it…eventually. He deserves it for getting so excited and being such a pervert anyway, so don't worry about it, okay?" she assured, squeezing his hand slightly and smiling at him. Crona still felt uncertain, but he nodded, giving her a small, timid smile.

They handed in their tickets and took their cases to the Luggage collection officer, the man smiling and sticking large skull shaped stickers on their bags before placing them in the Luggage carriage at the rear of the train. Maka asked him kindly if he could find workers to take her father's bags for him, since she highly doubted he would be in the correct frame of mind to do it himself, and he nodded, already calling five men over to do the job for them.

When they got back to Spirit they found him curled into a tight ball, seemingly deep in a coma, his body completely still. A small crowd of concerned passengers had gathered around him, murmuring to each other and pointing. One man even bent down to check his pulse; just making sure the red head was actually still alive.

Maka sighed and shook her head, seriously unimpressed with her father, "Papa, come on, we have to leave."

She received no reaction.

Maka sighed for a second time, preparing to use her favourite trump card, "Papa, if you don't take the train now, you might never get to see all those lovely ladies in bikinis on the ship. Do you really want to throw all that away?"

Spirit's reaction to her words was instantaneous, and he shot to his feet, already making a beeline for the train. Onlookers watched on in amazement, jaws hanging as they stared after him with wide eyed shock. Maka grinned sheepishly to them and apologised profusely, dragging Crona bodily behind her as she followed her father to the train.

It was at times like these that Crona seriously doubted the functionality of Maka's family. He knew they were bad, but he had never expected _this_. Although with his upbringing, he knew he had little or no right to say anything regarding this more than a little controversial topic.

They made it to the sleek black locomotive and climbed on board, Maka handing in their three tickets to the Ticket officer with a smile. Crona followed close behind the blond timidly, looking this way and that at the many passengers around him that were already sitting.

Spirit had already found an empty booth, and he waved them over, pointed wildly at the row of seats in front of him. But unsurprisingly Maka walked right past him, not even sparing him a glance as she took the booth behind her father's. Crona watched Spirit's face turn ashen, and the man began to weep brokenly, curling in on himself in his empty booth and settling down to cry bitter tears for his daughter.

Deciding it would be best not to mention anything Crona took his seat beside Maka, ignoring the empty window seat across from her. Maka smiled from ear to ear and tapped on the window beside her, drawing Crona's attention to it.

"You don't mind if I get the window seat do you? I just love getting a look at the view as we go along!"

Crona opened his mouth to assure her that he didn't mind at all, but Ragnarok had other ideas, bursting from Crona's back with a sickening sound to reform himself there, little fists already waving.

"No fair, cow! You know this stupid fuck will never say no to you, you've got him wrapped around that ugly little finger of yours! Well let me tell you, _I _mind! I want the window seat!" he shrieked, slamming his little fists on the top of Crona's head. Maka gave the demon a dead panned glare, not at all impressed by his antics.

"Then move. There's a window seat right there."

Ragnarok glared at her, his little body shaking with fury. He waved his fists about wildly and pointed at his body protruding from his Meister's back, screaming in Maka's face with blind rage, "You bitch, does it _look_ like I have the fucking option! Or are you as blind as you are stupid?"

Crona looked up to his partner, his usually boundless patience wearing thin, "W-why are y-y-you complaining, you can j-just lean forwards. You can see p-perfectly from up there! Stop being r-r-rude to M-Maka!"

Ragnarok went still, and he let out a vicious growl, suddenly grabbing hold of Crona's ears and beginning to tug at them mercilessly, "You fucking traitor, that's not the point! And there you go choosing her over me, _again_! I've had enough of this fucking favouritism! I'm going to teach you a lesson about loyalty that you'll never forget!"

Crona cried out in pain and terror, and Maka let out a roar of anger, already reaching for her book, preparing to save her closest friend from his demonic partner.

As the chaos erupted from inside their booth, they failed to notice an all too familiar presence coming down the aisle beside them, the group too worked up in their own violent struggle. A woman with long, flowing dyed black hair walked past them in a tiny purple boob tube top, black leather jacket and daisy-dukes. Her high heel boots clicked as she walked, pumpkin ear-rings swaying in time with every step, and the male passengers just couldn't help but stare at her in awe. She slipped into the booth behind the two Meisters and smiled, golden eyes glowing wickedly.

For the magical Cat Woman Blair, things were going better than she could ever have planned.

Outside, the skull faced steam train let out a mournful wail, black smoke beginning to bellow from its funnel. There was a whistle from the platform, and the train roared into life, large wheels turning with spiteful shrieks of protest. The slightly nightmarish train began to ease its way along the tracks, picking up speed as it rounded the corner and snaked its way out of the Death City train station. Soon it was racing down the tracks faster than one would have thought physically possible, the train running on the newly installed Magic Tool Eternal Spring, forcing the midnight black train to shoot across the Nevada desert in its desperate attempt to reach Galveston Texas before it's designated deadline.

But even with lightning speed, it was still going to be a long,_ long_ journey.

* * *

Maka stirred in her sleep as she felt the train begin to slow, letting out a soft moan as she shifted herself slightly, stretching her warm muscles as she slowly but surely began to rouse herself. Green eyes fluttered, desperately trying to open themselves, but she couldn't help but snuggle deeper into whatever it was she was resting on, far too comfortable to try any harder.

Surely the train window couldn't be _this _comfortable.

Finally managing to force her eyes open, she looked about with groggy eyes, her mind still lulled by sleep. She'd woken up way too early this morning, and she'd felt practically exhausted earlier.

Looking about now, Maka couldn't help but let out a squeak of fright as locks of soft, pink hair brushed her face. Her eyes went wide as she realized just exactly what it was that she had fallen asleep against, and she blushed slightly, biting on her lower lip to stifle a giggle.

She's fallen asleep on Crona's shoulder, and in return, his own head rested on hers, the swordsman sleeping soundly in the locks of her pale blond hair. She felt him stir above her, his face burying deeper into her hair, a soft, adorable sound of contentment slipping from his lips. Maka smiled and stole herself, snuggling up next to her closest friend and closing her eyes again, burying her small pale face in his white shirt.

Usually she wouldn't like such closeness with other people. In fact, she avoided it whenever she could. Soul was one of the only people who could get this close to her, and even then it almost never happened. But with Crona, it was a totally different story. Closeness like this was welcomed, even encouraged, and she couldn't help but love the way she felt so comfortable and safe around him, folding into his warm wavelength and letting her soul merge with his. She knew she could trust him, no matter what happened, and she knew deep down that no one else would be able to understand another the way she and her timid companion understood and knew each other.

It was a wonderful, warm and fussy feeling, and she couldn't help but sigh as it spread through her limbs like liquid fire.

Some feelings just never change, and if they ever did, it was simply because they grew _stronger_.

Maka felt the train finally grind to a halt, and she heard the murmurs and sounds of passengers gathering their things and beginning to move down the aisle next to them. But she remained where she was, breathing in the familiar smell of her Demon Swordsman and resting on his slim shoulder, eyes half lidded with contentment.

But the noise was bound to wake the young man eventually, and she felt him groan into her hair, his body stirring beside her. Lifting her head slightly Maka smiled, beaming from ear to ear, not quite aware of what position they were in and what it all meant.

It took Crona nearly over a minute to realize what was happening, and he stiffened against her, his eyes going as wide as saucers. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he felt her breath against his neck, felt her body lying flush against his arm, felt her hair brushing his cheek gently like tiny caresses. It was all too much to take in; he couldn't believe this had even happened in the first place.

He could clearly remember her falling asleep against him, which was something at least. An hour into the trip she had fallen asleep after one of their conversations, her head falling to the side as she fell against him. He had been mortified, but hadn't had the heart to move her. It had felt so…so nice having her rest against him like that, her face angelic as she slept, her breathing so soft and sweet. And he knew just how tired she was, he didn't want to disturb her.

Naturally, it hadn't taken him long to follow her, the pink haired man falling into a comforting sleep as the train shot across the desert.

Suddenly, Crona heard a loud, hostile cough from the opening to their booth, and his eyes darted nervously to the door, his pupils dilating in terror. Spirit was standing in the doorway, his eyes fixed on the two young adults, blue eyes boring viciously into Crona in a silent, hostile warning.

It didn't take a genius to realise what Spirit's glare was demanding.

_What do you think you're doing with my daughter?_

With lightning reflexes Crona shot bolt upright, forcing down a whimper when he was forced to leave Maka's warm and comforting closeness behind him, her head sliding off his shoulder and her body falling away. Blushing furiously Crona launched himself to his feet and pushed past Spirit, refusing to meet his gaze, eyes downcast, the slim Meister making a mad dash for the trains exit.

He had no idea where he was going, or how he'd deal with being alone outside in such a foreign place for the amount of time it would take them to follow him, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. He just had to _get away_.

Maka watched her friend run away with his tail in between his legs before turning to glare daggers at her father, her fists clenching angrily. She shot to her feet and stormed past him, forcing him out the way and running after her friend, scowling bitterly all the way.

Leave it to Papa to ruin everything. Sometimes, Maka couldn't help but think it was the only thing he was good for.

The blond Meister jumped to the station platform, looking about for her companion. She found him standing a few paces away, his eyes wide, his whole body shaking uncontrollably, biting furiously at his lower lip. He spotted her and visibly relaxed, his body going still as she reached him. He looked down at the floor sheepishly, blushing and clutching at his arm, shamefaced and embarrassed.

"I-I'm s-sorry for r-r-running Maka…I should h-have stayed with y-you…" he apologised shakily, refusing to look at her. Maka smiled soothingly and let her fingers brush over his hand gently, making him look up to her with wide eyes.

"It's okay, I don't blame you. My Papa's being a jerk. Just ignore him, okay? You weren't doing anything wrong!"

Crona nodded, although he felt anything but convinced. That glare Spirit had given him was icy, and it still turned his inky black blood cold just thinking about it.

But the moment couldn't last long, and Ragnarok burst from his back, throwing his little fists in the air and waving them at Spirit, who was going to go collect their luggage for them, "Well I'm not going to! Fuck him and his stupid issues! He can't take it out on us like that! I'll teach him a lesson or two; he must just bring his ugly face over here!"

"R-Ragnarok!"

"It's the truth, dumb ass! And why are you complaining, you're the victim here! I'm standing up for you!"

Crona looked up to his fuming weapon, eyes gentle, "Thank y-you Ragnarok, b-but I d-don't think i-it's really n-necessary. Let's leave it, o-okay?"

Ragnarok clenched his little fists, his whole body shaking as he tried his best to contain his anger, black vain pulsing angrily on his forehead as he watched Spirit walk up to them, seemingly trying to carry all their luggage on his own, looking utterly comical. The demon sword finally let out a loud, indignant huff before burying his face in Crona's hair to sulk, muttering foul insults under his breath.

Crona sighed, looking up to Maka's father. Spirit appeared to have gotten over his momentary prejudices towards him, the Death Scythe grinning from ear to ear as he thrust Crona's case into the waiting swordsman's arms, the young man letting out a cry as the heavy case sent him stumbling backwards, Crona trying desperately to regain his balance. He was mere seconds from falling backwards and giving himself a concussion when his weapon saved him, the demon pushing him solidly between the shoulder blades with enough force to send him forwards, the Meister finally regaining his balance.

Once again, Maka couldn't help but glare at her father, seriously unimpressed. The red head simply threw her his widest smile and dropped her suitcase in front of her carefully, looking into her eyes with fatherly love all the while.

Once they had all gathered their bags and belongings, they made their way out of the train station and onto the streets of Galveston, Texas city. Crona looked around himself anxiously as they walked, trailing behind Maka all the way, looking nervously over her shoulder with wide grey eyes.

He seriously couldn't deal with new environments like this.

It didn't take them long to realize they were hopelessly lost, since Spirit had ingeniously left the map at home, much to Maka's chagrin. After a heated argument where Maka did most of the shouting and Spirit did most of the crying, they finally called a taxi and requested to be taken to the harbour. From the look on the drivers face, they could see how truly bad their sense of direction had been.

That was the last time Maka ever let her father lead her _anywhere_. Well, not like her sense of direction was any better, last year she had run head first into the big wide world for hours on end before finally realizing she had no idea where she was going. She had tried to defend herself by saying she had desperately wanted to help Crona fight his mother, but even she knew she had been really, _really _stupid.

It took them ten minutes to reach the harbour, and when they did, Maka was about ready to scream. Once upon a time she would have hated to admit it, but she was genuinely excited about this vacation. She had never seen a cruise ship before in her life, and she was more than eager to see it up close, let alone get on it. She could already see it in her mind's eye, huge and gleaming purest white, passengers leaning over the balconies to wave to the crowd below. It made her want to burst with excited eagerness, and she was already bolting from the taxi before it had even stopped completely, dragging Crona along behind her by the collar of his shirt, not even giving him the chance to cower in fear.

If walking through the streets of Texas was enough to scare him, she could only imagine what would happen next. And she was not looking forward to it.

Dragging her suitcase and whimpering friend behind her Maka bounced up to the harbour officials, asking them politely where the cruise liner was docked. She waved her ticket at them excitedly, and they took one look at it before pointing off to a random section of the harbour, telling her she couldn't miss it.

Not even bothering to wait for her father Maka took off at a dead run, pulling Crona along by the hand, eyes alight, "Come on Crona! I can't wait to see this! Can you imagine it? We're finally going to see a cruise ship, a real one!"

Crona shook his head nervously, stuttering uncontrollably, "N-no, I c-can't. M-Maka, can't w-we slow down? I-I'm not s-sure I c-c-can deal w-with this!"

Maka craned her neck around to look back at him while she ran, her expression eager yet gentle at the same time, "It's okay, you don't have to be frightened! I'll be here with you all the way, I promise!"

Crona couldn't help but feel unconvinced, but he nodded all the same, letting her drag him along behind her reluctantly.

He hadn't been lying when he'd said he would do anything for her.

They came around one of the larger harbour buildings, coming out into a large open space. Without warning Maka ground to a halt, stopping dead in her track and letting out a startled gasp.

Crona noticed this fact far too late, and he ran into her back hard, the swordsman letting out a cry as he fell backwards, releasing Maka's hand and landing painfully on his rear.

"Ow," he groaned, rubbing his aching bottom comically, "Maka, what happened, why did you-,"

Crona cut himself off suddenly, seeing for the first time what had stopped Maka so suddenly, and he couldn't help but stare, his jaw going slack and his eyes growing as wide as twin saucers.

The biggest ship either of them had ever seen stood a good few feet away from them on the other side of the docks, its sleek white sides gleaming in the sunlight. It reared imperiously upwards high above their heads, small blue flags waving in the light breeze from its upper deck, sunlight reflecting off the glass windows. The ship appeared to be thirteen stories high and stretched from one end of the dock to the other, taking up more space than anyone could have ever thought possible.

There were no words to fully describe how majestic and beautiful this ship was. And the name printed on the top right corner beside an image of a royal blue compass only seemed to solidify its imperial class.

"The…Explorer of the Seas…" Maka murmured, her voice layered with awe and reverence. Her green eyes shone as she gazed at the sleek beauty before her, unable to believe it was really there.

Crona stared at the cruise liner ahead of him, gaping shamelessly, completely lost for words. His mind had gone utterly blank, and it took all his strength to keep his body from going slack.

Ragnarok burst from his back and leaned over his Meister's head, Ping-Pong ball eyes large and staring, "Holy…_shit_!"

Maka stared for a moment longer before laughing, throwing her hands in the air, "It's gigantic! I can't believe this! Crona, look at it, it's…it's…"

But she trailed off as she turned to look at her companion, her words dying on her lips.

Crona was now huddled up into a ball, rocking backwards and forwards, eyes still glued to the ship before him, "N-n-n-no! No, no, no! I c-can't do this, I c-c-can't! I d-don't know h-how to deal with s-something that b-b-big!"

Ragnarok, finding this whole situation beyond hilarious, just added fuel to the fire, "Yeah, he's right! With his shit for brain's he'd just get lost on that thing and die!"

Maka whirled on the little demon, eyes ablaze as Crona let out a wail of terror, "Shut up! He wouldn't get lost! It's not _that _big!"

Ragnarok waved a little fist in front of her face, seeming almost to smirk at her, "Are you _blind_, cow? That thing is fucking massive!"

Maka knew there was some truth behind Ragnarok's words, but she wouldn't let that stop her now. She'd be damned if she let this little weapon ruin her holiday before it had even started.

Instead of resorting to violence like she usually would, Maka knelt in front of the two partners, ignoring Ragnarok's wickedly laughter. She reached out and took Crona's face in both her hands, moving him so he was looking at her instead of the ship looming a head of them. Gentle green eyes dove deep into traumatised grey ones, and her thumbs brushing over the skin just below his eyes, soothing him gently.

"You don't have to be frightened," she murmured softly, feeling his trembles die down beneath her hands, "You _know _you're not alone, Crona. I'll be with you always, I promise!"

Crona stared at her, not even daring to breath, his body completely still as he felt her hands caress his cheeks. He couldn't even find it within himself to blush at the contact; it was all just too much to take it.

They remained as they were, frozen in place and staring into each other's eyes for what felt like a life time, before Crona looked away nervously, averting his gaze as best he could.

"Okay, Maka…" he murmured beneath his breath, just loud enough for her to hear. The blond Meister let out a sigh of relief, letting her hands slip from his cheeks. She held out a hand to him, smiling from ear to ear, eyes still gentle and reassuring.

"Thank you, Crona. Now, are we ready to come with me, then?"

The swordsman nodded shyly, taking her offered hand as she helped him to his feet. Still holding hands they gathered their suitcases and began to make their way to the crowd that had gathered at the side of the ship, the throng of vacationer's eager to board the waiting vessel.

The Meisters, once again, had failed to notice that they were being watched. Watching them from around the corner with wide, golden eyes, the kitty in disguise giggled happily, one manicured hand hiding her broad smile. Taking up her many bags the woman began to follow them, digging in her handbag for her ticket.

For Blair, it had been mind numbingly easy to snatch up Maka's ticket and copy it with one of her delightful little spells. All in all, she felt terribly proud of herself, and it took all her efforts to fight down a purr of happiness. She'd finally get to go on vacation, and it would be right under their noses too. They wouldn't suspect a thing; in fact, how could they? Maka had no idea she was even capable of such an ingenious plan, convinced that the cat woman was nothing more than a voluptuous air head.

Oh how wrong she was. Blair was more than just carefree and bubbly; she was cunning, and could be wicked and sneaky when she wanted to be. And right now, she had a plan so layered with wicked intent laid out for the two companions that just the thought of it would send their blood cold.

And most likely, their cheeks red.

* * *

Standing in the ship's reception area, Maka and Crona couldn't help but gape up at the stunning hall around them, looking this way and that, eyes sparkling. Gleaming chandeliers tinkled above their heads, sparkling crystals reflecting the warm light of the room and sending beads of light dancing across the polished mahogany floor at their feet, and the walls and furniture were ornately decorated to give off a royal, high class feeling to those that had the pleasure to stand at its centre.

Off to the side at the reception desk, Maka could see her Papa arguing with the man behind the counter, waving a stern finger in the air and leaning so far over the counter he was right up in the seething secretary's face. The man was obviously trying to keep his cool while dealing with the insufferable Death Scythe, but it was too much for even him to handle, and Maka could easily see the man was on the verge of his breaking point.

Curious, Maka let her fingers slip from Crona's hand, the blond drifting over to the magnificent counter. As she drew closer she could hear their conversation, and it made her eyes narrow suspiciously.

"You can't do this, I'm a paying customer! If I want something changed, there shouldn't be an issue!" Spirit was demanding, slamming a fist down on the counter. The man behind the counter, dressed in a formal blue uniform with the ships logo printed on his blazer shook his head, stern brown eyes unwavering.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, but we cannot have something of this magnitude changed. And even if we could, we would not be able to do such a thing at this moment in time. Please accept our apologies…"

Spirit waved a hand over his shoulder in what he believed to be his daughters direction, making the young woman stop in her tracks, "Why not? I don't want apologies, I want action! You see that pretty little girl over there! That's my _daughter_! Get a good look at her! Do you see where I'm coming from with this?"

The man gave Maka a look, before turning back to the frantic father, "All I see is a mature and elegant young woman. I see no problem in this."

Spirit seemed to blow a fuse, an explosion taking place inside his head. He slammed his hands down on the counter and literally threw himself into the secretary's face, eyes ablaze with rage, "_What_! You see nothing wrong with _this_? I'm trying to protect my little girl!"

"Sir, please calm yourself. If you don't, I will be forced to have you permanently removed from this ship."

At that, Spirit's demeanour changed completely, and he collapsed on the desk, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. He grabbed the man by his blazer and dragged him closer, his eyes pleading, "Listen, please! You don't understand! I can't let this happen to my little Maka, please, you have to help me! I'll do anything! I'll pay extra! Just please, please help me!"

"Help you with what, Papa?" Maka asked icily, eyes rock hard as she came up behind her grovelling father. She heard Spirit let out a squeak of terror, the Scythe jumping on the spot with fright.

The man looked around Spirit to gaze at Maka, his expression relieved to find somebody who found Spirit just as annoying as he did, "Ah, Miss Albarn I presume? Your father here is requesting that I-,"

"_Nothing_! It's nothing, sweetie! Don't worry about it! It's fine now, really!" Spirit cut the man off, grabbing Maka by the shoulders and beaming at her, turning her away. He pushed her bodily towards Crona, who had come up behind them moments before, and the swordsman caught her expertly, eyes widening with shock before narrowing dangerously, his grey eyes honing in on the man who had seemingly just man handled his love interest. Maka, lost in uncontrollable rage towards her father, didn't seem to notice that Crona had not let go of her, the Meister's firm hands still gripping her upper arms and pressing her to his chest, glaring over her shoulder at Spirit with stormy grey eyes.

And even if she had noticed, she doubted she would have minded.

The man behind the counter watched the two teenagers, looking them up and down before nodding, seeming to confirm something to himself. Then without so much as a further explanation turned to the next group of passengers who had come to hand in their tickets, smiling apologetically.

Maka craned her head to the side, watching angrily as her father retreated in the direction of the elevator, waving for them to follow him and leading the attendant with their luggage. Maka muttered a few choice swear words under her breath before taking one of Crona's hands and beginning to pull him along behind her, squeezing his hand in gratitude for what he had done just moments before.

They all clambered into the gleaming elevator, Crona looking at the wall of mirrors with gold lining that made up the walls of the elevator, noticing with some awe just how close Maka and himself truly were, their bodies close together in the cramped space. He watched with a certain sense of pride as Maka shoved her father bodily to one side to give them more room, getting revenge for his none to gentle push from earlier in the process. Spirit tried his best to keep his composer, but it didn't take him long to burst into tears, crying against the startled luggage boys shoulder. The uniformed man didn't know how to handle the situation, so he ignored the man as best he could, pressing the right buttons to get them to the rooms he had been told to lead them to.

Bursting out of Crona's back, Ragnarok reformed himself and glared at Maka's father, one large white brow raised suspiciously. He leaned down close to Crona's face, murmuring softly in his Meister's ear, "I don't like where this is going. Do you sense it to? Something isn't fucking right here!"

Crona nodded seriously in agreement, dark, almost black eyes boring into Spirit mercilessly. He wasn't blind to what was going on, and he knew that Maka could sense it to, her body rigid beside him, her green eyes hard and troubled. Something foul was about to go down, and they both knew that whatever it was, neither of them would like it.

The elevator stopped on their designated floor, and the doors opened with a delighted ping. They all filed out, Crona and Maka following along behind as their guide led them down the beautiful corridor, their feet making no sound on the carpeted floor. They watched the ornate doors pass them by, golden numbers gleaming from the cream coloured doors as they went.

Finally, the luggage boy stopped at one of the doors, holding up a key with a number card attached to it thoughtfully.

"Room Number thirteen, Royal class…" he murmured, making a low whistle below his breath, indicating just how luxurious these suites were. It became apparent to the two Meisters just how much money Lord Death had spent on them, and they smiled sheepishly, both of them pawing at the ground and shuffling self-consciously.

The older man looked from the key to the passengers around him, his eyes falling on Crona and Maka. Looking back and forth he finally nodded, handing them the key with a smile.

"Yes, I think that's about right. This will be your room, room thirteen. Please enjoy your stay aboard the Explorer of the Seas! All the details you'll need are in your suite!"

Maka took the key, examining it carefully. She wasn't superstitious, but wasn't thirteen meant to be a terribly bad number?

Pushing the thought aside, she watched the attendant lead her Papa down the corridor, the two finally stopping a good five rooms down from them. She let out a sigh of relief, noting with some mirth that Crona too let out a breath of obvious gratitude, the young man slumping on the spot.

"You're glad too huh? Thank god he won't be staying in the same room with us! And look, he'd so far down the corridor we won't even have to worry about him! Hey, maybe we can even avoid him completely!"

Crona nodded eagerly, glad to see that things might not be as bad as they had seemed moments before, "Yeah. I was getting n-nervous for a moment there! Your Papa is kind of…um…"

"Annoying, embarrassing, stupid, disturbing, freaky, insane, perverted, disgusting, barbaric, and totally intolerable? Yeah, I get that a lot!" Maka drawled, rolling her eyes. Crona laughed, Ragnarok letting out a delighted 'Amen!' behind him.

"Yeah, s-sorry!" he apologized, praying frantically that he had not offended her. But Maka simply beamed at him, eyes alight.

"Don't be sorry, silly! Everyone thinks that…well, besides for Blair, but she likes anything that walks and has male genitals in its pants. I guess that's why she likes my Papa so much, since that's the only part of his body he ever pays attention to anyway."

Crona nodded in understanding, remembering the cat with a visible shudder, cringing as an image of the naked cat woman flashed before his eyes. Maka laughed at his reaction, smiling happily from ear to ear.

"Well then, now that _that's _behind us, let's get to the exciting part!" she grinned, taking the key and jamming it into the room's lock eagerly. She turned it, unlocking the door with a loud, metallic click, and the blond opened the door hurriedly, running into their suite blindly.

"Home sweet home! Now Crona, I know I'm always choosing everything first, so you get to choose which bed you want to have first! I think you should take the one nearest to the balcony, which would give you an amazing…Crona?"

She trailed off, having twirled on the spot to look up at her companion, and her eyes finally fell on Crona's face.

The swordsman's face had gone pasty white, his eyes larger than they had ever been. He stumbled back slightly, falling against their now closed suite door, the Meister looking as if he had been cornered by some wild animal. His expression became contorted with horror, and he began to whimper, his while body rigid with terror. Behind him she could see Ragnarok dancing in the air happily, arms waving, his round head thrown back with deep, wicked laughter.

"What, what's wrong guys! Crona!" Maka demanded, running forward to stand in front of him, worried it was herself he was scared of. But as she drew closer she realized he was staring at something behind her, his large grey eyes rooted to something she could not see.

Sweat beading on her forehead, Maka swallowed, grabbed hold of her courage, and turned around.

The Scythe Meister couldn't help but cry out in horror.

* * *

**Hehehe, oh my, I'm sure it's VERY obvious to all of you what they have just discovered, and if not, then... CLIFF HANGER! YAY! :D**

**I can't wait to write about what happens next! Expect a very quick update after this, I'm terribly over eager! 8D**

**And if any of you are wondering, The Explorer of the Seas is a REAL ship! That's right, I spent hours researching Caribbean cruise liners, and I found the perfect one. It's mind numbingly beautiful, and I would give my left leg to be able to travel on that thing! :D You can look up pictures of the ship for yourself to get a better mental image of it, but don't go on the site, unless you want to spoil the rest of the story for yourself. So don't take my warning lightly, if you read any reviews for this ship or go on the official site, you are going to spoil the surprises and future moments, so I suggest you stay safe and just look at the ship photos. :)**

**Once again, I sincerely hope everyone is in character in this chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed it! I certainly enjoyed writing it!**

***gasp* Hmmm, I wonder what Blair is planning! CROMA COOKIES FOR THE ONE WHO CAN GUESS WHAT SHE HAS PLANNED FOR OUR LOVELY COUPLE! X3**

**Oh, and we have some AMAZING fanart for this story on DA! I love my readers so much, you guys are amazing! And a few of the readers on DA went the extra mile and drew some adorable and spectacular fan art! If any of you want to check it out, go to deviant art page and you will see the links to the fan arts in the copy of this chapter that is on DA! Please comment on them and show your love, they deserve it! :3 My deviant art name is BosBaBe, so I'm easy to find! XD**

**Well, see you all again soon! Please leave a review on the way out! :D CROMA FOREVER PEOPLE!**


	5. A Series of Awkward Events

**A Series of Awkward Events**

Maka stood as still as the grave, eyes wide, face pasty and pale as she stared at the sight before her, her mouth still wide from the cry of alarm she had let out moments before.

Wave after wave of shock and disbelief crashed down on her, freezing her muscles and sending her blood cold. She tried to think, tried to force herself into action, but she couldn't bring herself to focus, her eyes glued to the spot in front of her.

And from the whimpers behind her, she knew Crona felt the same way. And who could blame him?

Even _she _had no idea how to deal with this.

Their room was large and luxurious, obviously the pinnacle of five star accommodation. The carpet was soft and cream coloured, and the walls were the colour of milky coffee, giving off a warm and homey sensation. To their right was a TV set far bigger than the one she had at home, with a comfortable loveseat and glass coffee table completing the sitting area. A side door undoubtedly led to their on suite bathroom, and there was a phone attached to the wall, most likely for room service. On the far side of the room was a pair of glass double doors, leading out to a small, comfortable balcony suspended over the ocean below.

But the Meisters didn't care about all that in the slightest. Their eyes were focused on something else entirely.

Pressed up against the left hand wall was a large, queen sized four-poster bed, mahogany head board and pillars gleaming. The covers were a rich, warm gold colour, with large matching pillows. On the edge of the bed was a long folded up cream blanket, the extra material made useless by the already thick enough duvet beneath it. The dark brown curtain that hung from the posters was tucked neatly to the side, completing the rich piece of furniture perfectly.

It was certainly magnificent and all together breath taking. But the sight of it didn't take the Meisters breath away. It made them _choke_.

After what felt like a lifetime of silence, Crona let out a gasping, hopeless stutter, his words almost totally incoherent.

"M-M-M-Maka! T-t-t-there's only o-o-o-one _b-bed_!"

The blond Meister made no move to answer him, but he could tell she had heard him. He watched with wide eyes as she clenched her fists, her whole body beginning to tremble violently.

For Maka, this was it. The final straw. The last bloody nail in the coffin. This was just too much, and she was going to hand out the long overdue justice she had yearned to deal out for years now. She didn't care about the repercussions; she cared only for the here and now. And she'd be damned if she hesitated for even a split second.

Still shaking with rage, the Scythe Meister spun on her heel, storming past her shell shocked companion to their hotel room door, throwing it open with an echoing bang loud enough to be heard several rooms down their corridor. But she didn't care at all. In fact, she _wanted_ them to hear. She might as well make a show of it while she still had the chance.

"I'm going to kill him!" Crona heard her shriek from the other end of the corridor, and he staggered back from the door, too terrified to follow her. Teeth chattering he turned slowly to stare at the bed behind him, pupils tiny in fear and horror.

Behind him he could still hear Ragnarok laughing hysterically, his little arms waving as he danced in the air happily.

"I knew it! I just knew it! You're going to be raped for sure, I'm fucking telling you! Oh my god this is just too much!" Ragnarok laughed, the demon battling to breath as he buried his face in Crona hair, slamming a little fist down on the Meisters' head over and over again as he howled with laughter.

"Sh-shut up!" Crona whimpered, snaking his fingers into his hair and shaking his head this way and that, his eyes wide with horror.

He couldn't even begin to comprehend what the implications of this total disaster were. In fact, he couldn't even begin to believe it was happening in the first place. Things had been bad earlier, but they had been tolerable. Sometimes even pleasant. But this, oh gods, _this_…it was too much, he couldn't cope with it. He wanted to run away, to scream and lock himself up in a closet somewhere and just die.

It wasn't the bed itself that scared him. Oh no, the bed was fine. It was the fact that it was _one _bed, a bed made for two people, a _couple_. And no matter how much he begged and hoped for it to be true, and no matter how much it hurt for him to think it, Maka was not his lover. She wasn't his; he had no right to sleep next to her. If he was going to be totally honest with himself, merely sleeping in the same room as her would have been too much for him to deal with. And now here they were, staring the prospect of sharing a bed together every night for the next two weeks right in the face. They never wanted it like that, but it looks like fate had other plans for them, and Crona didn't like it in the least.

And it would hurt to. Having to be so close to her, but know he couldn't hold her. To be so close to her, but know she wasn't his to keep. Not to mention how his body would react to sleeping next to her, how would he be able to explain things to her if she found out?

He'd have to tell her…

"Oh no…n-no! I c-c-can't do this!" Crona screamed throwing his head back and howling to the ceiling, fingers pulling at his hair. Ragnarok stopped laughing to growl at the panic stricken swordsman, seriously unimpressed.

"For fucks sakes, pull yourself together! Don't be such a whiny ass coward! I thought you wanted something like this! Isn't this what you fucking fantasize about day and night?"

Crona shook his head, beyond frantic now, "N-no! I don't w-want it to h-h-happen like this! I-it isn't r-r-right!"

Ragnarok cocked his head to one side, leaning over his partners' shoulder to look him in the face, large white eyes meeting grey, "So you _do _want her then?"

The weapon watched as the young man calmed himself somewhat, although his body was still wracked with trembles. Averting his eyes Crona nodded slowly, biting at his lower lip.

"Y-yes…"

Ragnarok stared at his Meister for a moment longer, one eyebrow raised, before nodding to himself, as if confirming something only he knew about. Turning to look at the bed before them Ragnarok let out a loud cry of excitement, pointing wildly.

"Hey, shit for brains! Look!"

Crona tore his eyes from the patch of carpet he'd been staring at for the past minute to look at what the little demon was pointing at, grey eyes nervous. It took him a moment to realize just what it was he was seeing, but when it finally hit him he let out a small cry of horror, feeling his stomach drop right through the ship floor beneath him down to the harbour below.

No…surely not! He wouldn't have…

He did.

Nestled between the two pillows was a small, flowery red basket, filled with heart shaped chocolates and a matching card. Red velvet leaked from the bundle like blood, and he could see small glass beads sticking out here and there, like morning dew on a seemingly innocent garden rose.

"W-w-what?" he stuttered, slowly reaching out and pulling the basket towards himself, treating it tentatively, as if it would lash out and bite him if he came too close. Shaking, he pulled the heart shaped card from the basket, his face contorted in disgusted horror.

He knew he shouldn't be doing this, it was only going to make the fact of what was happening all the worse, but he couldn't find the will to stop himself. Opening the card he proceeded to read it, his mouth falling open and his eyes bugging out as he read over each horrific line.

Ragnarok began to howl with laughter once more, and he leaned over Crona's shoulder, taking it upon himself to read the card out loud, enjoying the torture immensely.

"'To the happy couple! Welcome aboard the Explorer of the seas! We sincerely hope that you enjoy your stay aboard our humble cruise liner, and that your days shall be filled with love and happiness! We wish to congratulate you on your new found love, and we wish you all the best for the days to come!' Oh my god, this is fucking _priceless_! New found love! That's so poetic it's going to make me sick!" Ragnarok laughed, pounding his little fists into Crona's hair as he laughed uncontrollably, his head thrown back.

The swordsman was on the verge of getting sick.

And things became a thousand times worse as he heard the sound of wailing coming down the corridor, and he couldn't bring himself to turn around as Maka stormed back into their suite, dragging her sobbing father by the hair behind her, the scythe battered and bruised. The young woman marched right up to the bed, lifted her father off the floor and shoved his head towards the bed, her face painted in a violent scowl.

"Papa, what is _this_? Come on, you know. This is _your _fault after all. Start explaining, now!" she growled out between clenched teeth, green eyes aflame.

In her clutches Spirit began to weep bitterly, wrapping his arms around his daughters legs and hugging them, seeking comfort he was never going to get, "I'm so sorry, Maka! This was what your dear Papa was trying so hard to get changed earlier, I swear! I tried so hard to protect you, but I couldn't! Forgive me, please!"

"Then why…the hell…did you even have this arranged in the first place!" she screamed, dropping him and shaking him off her legs, staring down at him in enraged disgust. Spirit curled himself into a ball and cried all the harder, his shoulders heaving with his sobs.

"I…I thought…Miss B-Blair would be coming!" he confessed, snivelling pathetically. Maka felt her blood boil with yet more rage, and she resisted the urge to aim a kick at him, no matter how much she wanted to.

"So you were going to stay and sleep around with her in here, while I had to stay all by myself in a room down the corridor? How could you!"

"I'm so sorry love, please! Forgive me!"

"No! This has gone too far!" Maka raged, waving her arms and pointing a stern finger at the bed, her shoulders shaking with fury, "And I'm not the only one who needs an apology! Crona's a victim here too! Why don't you apologise to him too? Do it! _Now_!"

Spirit let out a wailed apology, sobbing into their cream carpets. Maka let out a noise of disgust before turning to her companion for the first time since this had all started, face stormy.

"I can't believe this, just when I thought he couldn't sink any lower. I'm sorry Cr-hey what's that?"

Crona stiffened; his eyes going wide as he saw the card get plucked from his hand by nimble fingers, his mind not reacting fast enough to stop her. He continued to stare at the place the card had been moments before, fingers clutching at thin air, sweat beginning to bead on his face as he realized what was about to happen.

Ragnarok looked between the two Meisters, before falling over, screaming with renewed laughter. This was all just too much for him to take, and if he laughed any harder, he'd probably suffocate himself. Not that he cared much about that, he was having _way _too much fun to stop now.

Maka looked at the card, her eyes narrowing. She opened it and began to read, her eyes moving over the lines of text with lightning speed. The more she read the redder her face became, until she was blushing furiously, holding the card away from her at arms breadth.

Had Crona just read _this_?

"Oh…" she gasped under her breath, looking to the swordsman with wide eyed horror. His expression was much the same as hers, his cheeks going pink as their eyes met. After a moment she watched him tear his eyes away, the man suddenly becoming very interested in the carpet.

It took a few moments to register what this all meant, and when it did, Maka spun around, throwing the card over her shoulder and grabbing her Papa by the back of his shirt. With a roar of outrage she bodily threw him out the door, watching with a sense of satisfaction as he hit the opposite wall, crashing into it with a crunch and sliding to the halls carpet, body twitching slightly. Taking one last moment to mutter foul curses under her breath Maka slammed the door and walked back to her companions, dropping onto the bed and sitting there, her eyes glued to the floor.

Silence fell over the two of them, neither one willing to look at the other. Crona sat down reluctantly beside her, trying to ignore how soft the bed was and how they were both sitting on it. But his nerves were on fire, and he continued to stare at the carpet, pleading to whatever god there was to smite him right then and there.

Maka looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and she sighed, picking up the red basket that sat between them. She placed it in her lap and fingered the red velvet, brushing her fingers over it and gazing at the chocolate hearts nestled in its depths.

After a moment she spoke, her voice soft and tentative.

"I'm sorry…"

Crona tensed up, and he looked at her, eyes wide. Maka's face was downcast, her eyes hidden by her hair, lips turned down. He felt his heart lurch in his chest as a single tear trailed down her cheek, falling to the velvet in her hands, seeming for all the world like the glass dew drops scattered across it.

"I should have seen this coming. This isn't fair on you…I u-understand if you w-want to leave…" Maka murmured, still not looking up at him, her words catching in her throat.

She had been enraged earlier, but now she was utterly devastated and embarrassed. What would he think of her after this? They had come on this trip to spend time together and enjoy themselves, not for _this_. She had literally dragged him out of his comfort zone, forcing him into something he hadn't wanted in the first place, and now this was happening. She couldn't forgive herself for doing this, and she knew it would be better for him to just go back to Death City.

But as much as she knew this, she desperately wanted him to stay. The thought of staying alone on this nightmare of a ship was enough to drive her to tears. She could have chosen anyone to go on this trip with her; they would have all leapt at the chance to join her. But she had chosen _him_, out of everyone else in her circle of friends, she had chosen her Crona. He meant so much to her, and after everything they had been through, it was only natural that she'd want to spend as much of her time with him as possible. And because of her selfishness he was suffering at her hand.

It was all just too much, and she had to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over any minute now.

Without warning, Maka felt a hand come over hers, long fingers forcing the velvet out her hand and entwining themselves with hers. She stared down at the hand with wide eyes, feeling the duvet shift beneath her as a body shifted closer to her, the hand clasping her own stroking her skin tentatively.

"You d-don't have to a-apologise," Crona murmured, making her turn to gaze at him with wide, teary eyes. His expression was serious, yet soft and gentle, his grey eyes kind. Maka couldn't stop herself from staring, her whole body still, her cheeks tinged with the slightest shade of pink.

Crona smiled slightly at her expression, and he lifted their entwined hands so she could see them, her green eyes falling from his to look at them in stunned amazement.

"A-and…I wouldn't l-leave you. No matter what. You k-know that, d-don't you?"

Maka continued to stare, unable to believe this was happening. All this time she had comforted him by saying the exact same thing, and now here he was doing the same for her, filling her with a sense of warmth she had only felt a few times before, and all of them at his doing. It was such a simple thing, their hands holding one another like this, but it seemed to mean all the world. It said more things than words ever could, and she doubted that would ever change.

Unable to stop herself, Maka lurched forward, throwing her free arm about him and pulling herself close to him, her head tucked beneath his chin as she laughed and cried into his chest at the same time, spiteful tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Th-thank you, Crona!" she laughed, her throat tight, laughing openly at her predicament. Crona smiled and let out a small, happy chuckle, wrapping his other arm around her upper torso and pressing her closer to him, resting his chin in her hair.

"Y-you're welcome, M-Maka…"

They remained like this for a moment before Maka pulled away, grabbing a fist full of the golden duvet beneath them and showing it to him, cocking her head to one side and grinning, "And we'll deal with _this _when we get to it, okay?"

Crona nodded, smiling nervously, trying his best to hide how much that prospect terrified him. Perhaps if he was lucky he'd just get to sleep on the floor for the rest of the trip. He was already searching for a decent corner of the room to set up shop in, and he was finding the far right corner very intriguing at that point in time. He knew for a fact Ragnarok would have more than a lot to say about that, but Crona found himself not caring in the slightest. The demon could pull his hair, scream, wail and curse as much as he liked, but the outcome would remain the same. They'd sleep on the floor whether he liked it or not.

Embarrassment and nerves finally put aside, the two Meisters collected their luggage from outside their room, carrying them inside and tossing them on the bed nonchalantly. As Maka dropped her case unceremoniously onto the downy sheets she heard a loud, annoying squeak, and her eyes went wide, the Meister jumping back from her case with a squeak of her own.

"W-what was that?"

Crona looked at her bag with raised eyebrows, baffled. He felt Ragnarok give a lurch inside him, and he looked down at his chest suspiciously, one eyebrow raised.

Maka unzipped the top of her bag and peaked inside, before letting out a confused sound, reaching into her bag and pulling out a large, smiling rubber ducky. She held it out at arms breadth, eyeing it in disbelief.

"How did this thing get in here?"

The swordsman shook his head, embarrassed, "R-Ragnarok. It's kind of an l-long story-ah!"

Crona cried out as Ragnarok burst from his back, the demon letting out a screech and lunging bodily at the blond Meister, snatching the toy from her hands and pulling it towards himself, his eyes narrowed angrily.

"Shut up! Who said it was me? I had nothing to do with this shit!"

Maka stared at him, eyes wide, "Then why did you just snatch it from me like that? And if that's so, how did it get there?"

Ragnarok gave a huff, holding the ducky close to his chest and rolling his eyes, "Well, _how the_ fuck_ should I know?_ Whatever, I don't care! Just…forget this even happened!"

The Meisters watched on in amazement as the demon proceeded to attack the little toy in his rounded hands, laughing with wicked delight as the ducky seemed to scream in agony at his attentions. Maka's eyebrow twitched and she looked away, deciding that she would rather not know at all. The longer she stayed out of the workings of Ragnarok's mind, the better.

Without warning, a booming bellow resounded through the ship around them, and Crona jumped at the sound of the ships horn, eyes starting in his skull. Even Ragnarok seemed shaken, the demon dropping his beloved ducky and sending it to the floor with a pitiful squeak. Maka on the other hand seemed unfazed, and she looked about, her eyes going wide with excitement.

"We must be leaving now! Crona, come on! We have to see this!"

Crona followed the woman as she wrestled their balcony doors open, finally managing to throw them open with a cry of delight. They stepped out onto the small balcony and grabbed hold of the silver bar railing before them, the two Meisters leaning over the edge to get a look at the world below them. Crona could see other passengers around them do the same thing on their own private balconies, chattering excitedly to each other and leaning dangerously far out over the edge, seemingly unconcerned about their own safety.

There was yet another resounding bellow, and Crona watched in awe as the ship began to move, edging itself away from the harbour wall tentatively. Passengers began to cheer around them, and Maka let out a cry of delight, throwing her arms in the air and adding her voice to theirs, eyes alight with joyous excitement. Even Ragnarok attempted to join in the festivities, letting out a loud whoop of his own and beginning to slam his little fists onto Crona's head, making his Meister wince slightly.

Resting his arms on the railings the swordsman leaned down, resting his chin there and watching the harbour go by. Far below him the late afternoon sunlight reflected off of the water, it's sleepy face casting dancing light across the smooth ocean surface. Transfixed, Crona watched as they finally moved out into the open sea, the Explorer of the Seas letting out one last bellow of farewell as it left the Texas harbour behind it.

As the cheering died down, Crona finally turned to look to his companion, and he felt his heart clench in his chest.

Maka was leaning against the railing beside him, her back resting against it and her arms spread comfortably, one hand close to his head. The soon to be setting sun set a warm glow to her face, and her green eyes seemed to shine, filled with joy and wonder as she gazed at the slowly disappearing land behind them. Strands of soft blond hair trailed in the breeze about her face, brushing her bare shoulders and gracing across her cheeks like tender caresses.

She looked absolutely, mind numbingly beautiful, and the swordsman couldn't help but stare at her, his cheeks pink and his eyes alight with devotion and wonder. His heart felt like it was trying desperately to rip itself from his chest and soar away, and he almost wanted to let it do just that.

At that moment, he felt totally and utterly inadequate. It was almost painful to look at her, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. Only a fool would horde and selfishly covert a priceless gem that doesn't belong to him, but he didn't care. He'd be a fool for as long as he lived if he had to.

If only, if only…

* * *

After what felt like hours, Crona and Maka burst back into their hotel suite, the two Meisters letting out simultaneous sighs of relief. Staggering over to the bed Crona collapsed bodily onto it beside his suitcase, cross eyed and drooling, burying his face in the covers. Maka did much the same beside him, her head spinning.

"That was the most boring fucking thing I've ever sat through in my entire life!" Ragnarok shrieked, bursting out of Crona's back and waving his fists in the air to no one in particular, looking utterly comical.

The teenagers let out moans of agreement.

Not even ten minutes after their ship had made it out into the open waters had the passengers been called for a meeting on the top deck for a safety briefing. There was naturally some important things thrown in, but all together it was basically common knowledge. Don't jump off the edge; don't play on the railing, keep your life jackets under your bed. Ragnarok was particularly put out by the fact that they weren't to be used as toys, and much to Crona's embarrassment and chagrin the weapon had shouted out something particularly devastating about the Safety Instructors' mother, causing everyone in the crowd to turn around to stare at the Meister with looks of outraged disgust. Maka had tried her best to make it look like the comment had come from somewhere else entirely, but Crona had made that particularly hard for her, since he had decided the best cause of action would be to curl up on the floor and cower from the eyes of the seething passengers, screaming out incoherent apologies.

"And then to top it off, you two couldn't just come back to this fucking place! Oh no, you _had_ to go and get _lost _too! We've been wondering around this shit heap forever! I thought I was going to die out there with you stupid fucks!" Ragnarok continued angrily, pointing his fists at their backs and roaring in their ears, a vein pulsing angrily on his little forehead.

Crona lifted his head from the bed at that, one eyebrow twitching, "That wasn't our fault!"

Ragnarok spun around to glare at him, grabbing his Meister by the ears and bodily lifting his upper body up and back, making the Meister scream as his back was arched painfully. Glad to find someone to aim his anger at Ragnarok got right up in Crona's face, shaking the unfortunate teenager's head violently as he vented his anger.

"Oh really now! Then who the _fuck _did it then, dumb ass?"

"Ow, ow, ow! Ragnarok, get off of me! Stop it! Ouch, you're going to rip my ears off! Stop it, _now_!"

With this last scream of defiance Crona lashed out, his fist crashing hard beneath Ragnarok's jaw. The demon let go of him to clutch at his now spinning head, letting out an ear splitting shriek of agony. But it didn't take long for the shriek to turn into a howl of rage, and soon the two males were wrestling it out, falling off the bed to scream and tackle each other on the carpet. Ragnarok even seemed to be making an attempt to rip Crona's skinny jeans off, but the Meister refused to let that happen, holding the demon at arm's length with one hand while the other clutched desperately at his black jeans, frantically struggling to keep his dignity.

Preparing to make another last ditch attempt at prying the demon off himself before he completely destroyed his modesty, Crona was suddenly interrupted by a loud, indignant coughing behind him. Meister and weapon went still, and they both looked up to find Maka standing over them, one eyebrow raised, seriously unimpressed. In her hands she held her toiletries, a towel and a set of clean clothes.

"Are you two just about finished trying to kill each other?" she asked, her voice ominous. Crona knew better than to argue, and he nodded furiously, giving her a nervous smile, eyes closed sheepishly.

Ragnarok on the other hand, remained silent. The last thing the rebellious demon had in mind was bowing down to someone else's will. Especially not to someone like _her_.

Deciding that their reactions were adequate, Maka smiled, turning and making her way to the bathroom. She opened the door and looked into the adjoining, letting out a squeal of delight and peaking her head inside, her long legs and sculpted rear becoming all that was visible.

"Crona! This bathroom's amazing! The bath's _huge_! It all looks so grand and fancy!"

And it was. With gleaming polished surfaces and a Jacuzzi bath, it was quite spectacular. Even the taps and handles gleamed, shining gold in the light. There was a small, porthole sized window to the left, which would let in the natural light during the day and circulate air in the lavish bathroom.

Sticking her head back out, Maka smiled to her companions, waving her toiletries for them to see, "I'm going to go bath first! I won't be long; we have to be at the dining hall in an hour! We can't be late, not for the first night! Please, for god's sake don't kill each other while I'm gone!"

Crona nodded, watching as she disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. He stared at the closed door, realizing that she was most likely getting undressed at that moment in time, and he blushed bright crimson, turning away and closing his eyes.

Thoughts like that weren't healthy, not when they were going to be living in such close courters for the next two weeks. He had to keep a firm hand on which way his thoughts concerning the young woman went, or else he would surely regret it. It would make things more awkward than they already were, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to deal with that.

Eyes closed, Crona wasn't able to see the grin appear on Ragnarok's face, revealing his dangerous teeth, and he couldn't see the weapon lung downwards, arms outstretched.

Crona let out a howl of fright, his eyes flashing open as his tight jeans were unceremoniously pulled down below his knees, Ragnarok cackling wickedly as Crona's black underwear came into full view.

"Fuck yeah! No one messes with me and gets away with it! Ha, you and that cow have the same problem! No idea how to choose your underwear! What happened to the days when you just wore nothing?"

Crona made a sound that resembled a growling whine, and he pulled his pants back up, fitting the belt in place firmly on his curvy hips.

"P-pervert…" he muttered under his breath, his face beet red. Ragnarok simply shrugged, not even bothering to argue. How could he, it was the god honest truth, and he was rather proud of it.

Waiting for Maka to finish up in the bathroom, Crona entertained himself by seeing what channels they had on TV, and he was stunned to see that the TV set was not only larger than Maka's, but it had a wider array of programs as well. But as much as this would seem like a good thing to most, Crona found it unnecessarily complicating. He spent most of the time searching for the nature channel he was so fond of, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't find it. Once the swordsman got past the channel three hundred and fifty marker he gave up entirely, slumping in defeat on the love seat and looking at the remote with an expression of utter chagrin.

Perhaps Maka would be able to help him. She knew far more about this type of stuff than he did. His head was already spinning from all the things he'd just seen, and he was not looking forward to having to sift through them all yet again just so he could watch perhaps a half an hour of animals doing…well, animal things.

Staring at the blank screen in front of him while Ragnarok proceeded to play with his beloved rubber ducky, Crona heard the bathroom door unlock with a click, and he looked towards the door, eyes lighting up.

The door crept open slightly, and Maka poked her head out, wet hair dripping to the carpeted floor at her feet. Her eyes met his and she blushed furiously, biting at her lower lip. Crona cocked his head to one side slightly, realising that something was wrong.

"M-Maka, w-what is it?"

The blond Meister averted her eyes, still blushing outrageously. She pawed at the ground with one foot, and Crona realised she was wearing nothing but a fluffy white towel that seemed far too small for her, revealing her long, creamy legs in all their splendour, droplets of bathwater still running down her skin. He hadn't noticed them mere seconds before, but now he couldn't bring himself to look away, his pupils shrinking to tiny pin pricks in his stormy eyes.

"C-Crona…I need you to…um…fetch me s-something…"

The pink haired male ripped his eyes from her legs to look at her blushing face, his eyebrows raised slightly, "W-what do you n-n-need?"

Maka still refused to look at him, and she continued to shuffle nervously, playing with the hem of her towel.

"Um…you'll see it when you get there. It's the…stuff I put in your bag last night…"

Crona couldn't help but notice how she had avoided answering the question, but he did as she asked, going over to his bag, trying his best to slow his racing heart. Something wasn't right here, he could just still all hell was about to break loose for the umpteenth time since they had gotten on this damn ship.

As he unzipped his suitcase, Ragnarok leaned in close to his ear, cackling wickedly, "Come on, open it up already! Tiny Tits is waiting for you!"

Crona resisted the urge to openly scowl at his partner, his cheeks burning white hot. He ignored the demon and opened his bag, looking and digging around for whatever it was she wanted.

Surely she could have just told him, it would have made things a whole lot simpler. How was he supposed to know what she wanted, it wasn't like he used the same things she did, much to the shock of certain others. He knew he looked feminine, but even his boundless patience had its limits. He was certainly not a woman, as much as others would like to think otherwise, and that annoyed him to no end.

After about a minute of frantic searching, Crona let out a small wail, pleading to the blond Meister watching him from the bathroom door.

"Maka, I can't find anything! What is it y-,"

But Crona felt the words die on his lips, his hands finally grabbing hold of something he knew most _definitely _wasn't his. His eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and he began to shake, his cheeks turning an almost black shade of red. His stomach dropped right through the soles of his shoes, and his abdomen gave a painful, searing lurch.

A small, unintelligible whine escaped his lips as slowly, fearfully, Crona held up a pair of soft white panties, a little black bow on its front. He stared at it with wide eyed terror, seeming for all the world like a doe in the headlights, simply staring at the garment in his limp hands. Well, he certainly _felt _like he had been hit by a speeding car.

It was all just too much for Ragnarok, and the sword began to laugh insanely, collapsing on Crona's head limply from the wave upon wave of mirth that hit him full force.

Shaking uncontrollably, Crona let out the only words that would come to mind at a moment like this, the Meister not even considering the notion of giving a damn about what the others would think of what he said.

"W-what…the _h-h-hell_…is t-this!" he stuttered hopelessly, holding the dainty underwear out at arm's length, one eyebrow twitching as he cringed helplessly on the spot. Ragnarok roared with delighted laughter at this, and before anyone could stop him he reached down, grabbing the matching bra from the bundle nestled comfortably in the corner of his Meister's bag. Cackling wickedly he tugged them and waved them to and fro, before unceremoniously pressing them over Crona's eyes, causing the young man to scream with horror.

"It's underwear, you stupid shit! Look at them, don't you just love it! Hey Crona, what cup size do you think these are? 'A' triple minus? Surely you should know, you stare at them every day!"

"_Ragnarok!_" Crona shrieked, horrified yet again by what his evil partner had just blurted out. Lashing out and hitting his partner for the second time that day Crona got his revenge as Ragnarok cried out in pain, pulling away hurriedly and taking the offending undergarment with him. Clutching at his little head Ragnarok began to sob, hissing foul insults between each melodramatic wail.

Taking no notice of his companion, Crona hurried back to Maka, blushing furiously, praying to whatever god there was that she had not heard what Ragnarok had said just moments before. Trying his best not to look at her he thrust her pantie out to her, cheeks blood red, eyes staring at the floor for all they were worth.

"S-s-sorry it t-took so l-long…"

Maka, blushing shyly, snatched her underwear away, hesitating for only a second before grabbing her bra from Ragnarok's head, giving the semi-conscious weapon a vicious glare.

Well, she had certainly heard _some _of what he'd said. She would have given him one of her more violent Maka Chops, but she had decided against it, imagining just how much worse the situation would have become if her towel had fallen off on top of it all in mid swing. They were already in enough trouble as it was; she didn't want to make it worse.

Looking back to her blushing companion, the blond Meister tried her best to make things less awkward, "I'm sorry I put them in your bag, Crona…I should have thought through that one…are you okay?"

The Demon Swordsman nodded hurriedly, still not looking at her, his hair hiding his eyes from her pleading green ones. Biting her lower lip guiltily Maka stepped back into the bathroom, closing the door behind her with a heavy sigh. Turning on the spot she allowed herself to slide down the door to the cool marble floor below, her towel sliding off her heated skin and falling in a heap against the door. Ignoring her nakedness she lay there staring up at the ceiling, waiting for her cheeks to stop burning, her small breasts moving up and down with each desperate breath she took.

"I'm _such_ an idiot!" she chastised herself finally, slamming a fist down on the cold floor and gritting her teeth in frustration. Resting the urge to scream at the top of her lungs Maka screwed her eyes shut, shaking her head back and forth.

Why, why, _why _did she have to forget to bring her underwear with her? Why couldn't she have thought things through before rushing off to the bathroom without a single logical thought popping up in her head? She tried to bring up excuses for herself, saying she had been distracted by Crona and Ragnarok's antics, but it was useless to deny it. She had been an idiot, plain and simple. And for the umpteenth time that day she had turned Crona's already upside down life into a living hell. Things were bad enough as they were for him, he didn't need her causing trouble for him on top of everything else he struggled to deal with on a daily basis.

And no matter what, she wouldn't scare him away from her. She couldn't bear to imagine what it would be like to have to watch him leave her behind. It would break her, spiritually, emotionally and physically. Without her realizing it over the past two years Crona's life had completely merged with her own, bringing her closer to him than she had ever thought possible. It had now reached a point where she couldn't even consider the notion of moving on without him, the very thought of it was enough to send her blood cold.

Sighing, Maka lifted herself up from the floor, gathering her clothes and beginning to get dressed. She had a feeling they were going to be late for dinner, but now she couldn't find it in herself to care.

In the room just next door, Crona lay sprawled out across their bed, waiting for Maka to finish up in the bathroom. The sun had set outside, and the room had been plunged into almost total darkness. But he hadn't bothered to put on the light, and he lay there in the dark, grey eyes staring at the ceiling, barely registering the world around him as he simply lay there.

But things were not as they appeared, and Crona struggled in the silence, trying desperately to keep a firm lock on the raging hormones and emotions inside him, his jaw clenched and his fists gripping at the sheets beneath him. He'd fought with himself like this before, but it had never happened so frequently and so violently before. At that moment he felt completely hopeless, like he was being swept away by the outgoing tide and forced out into the open ocean where he'd inevitably drown at the hands of his own selfish wants and emotions.

If this was what would happen after only a day of being in her company the way he had just been, seeing her the way he had, then there was no way he'd be able to survive two weeks. He'd go completely insane before the end of it all. Hell, he was already half way there!

Looking to one side limply, Crona's eyes fell on something in the darkened room, something small that had been carelessly tossed aside. Sitting up, Crona stared at it for what felt like an eternity, not even daring to breath.

Finally stealing himself the Meister slid off the bed onto his knees, reaching for the tiny object underneath his bed stand. He picked it up and slowly turned it over in his firm yet gentle swordsman's hands. Emotions raged inside him, threatening to drag him under, but he clung desperately to edge of his sanity, screwing his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again, calming himself.

Taking a glance at the closed bathroom door, Crona slipped the heart shaped card they had received into his pocket, averting his eyes shamefully as he did the act which he believed would ceil his fate. Looking out one of their windows Crona watched the insane moon grin down at him, blood oozing from between its tombstone teeth, the tiny stars twinkling down at him like tiny fairy lights scattered across the night time sky.

"'Stars, hide your fires…let light not see my dark and deep desires…'"

* * *

**WOOT! Finally finished! I'm so happy! XD And I'm so sorry for making you all wait so long for this! Last week was so hectic for me, I had TONS of school projects to do which I had left up to the very last minute, being the stupid and lazy procrastinator that I am! X_X So I almost died under the sheer workload, and I never got time to write! TT_TT**

**Anyway, did you all like this chapter? :D Poor Crona, poor Maka! Their lives have just been turned upside down! Hehehe, I am such a evil bitch! XD**

**And, can any of you guess where Crona's final, dramatic quote came from? *evil grin***

**And unfortunately, I still can't say who won the CroMa cookie, that would spoil the surprise! XD Keep guessing as to what Blair has planned, folks! :D**

**Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last one! I'll try to update asap! But I'm warning you before hand, I am just about to write a CroMa one shot lemon. XD And it would seem, it would be the first ever Male CroMa lemon on this entire site, perhaps even further! I hope you guys will like it! XD**

**AND THERE IS MORE FAN ART FOR THIS STORY ON DA! Please go check it out guys! 3**

**Anyways, LOVE YOU ALL! You guys are the best! 3 3 3**

***CronaxMakaForever**

**YOU GOT THE GUESS RIGHT!**


	6. Mess Hall Mayhem

**Mess Hall Mayhem**

Stumbling along helplessly, Crona resisted the urge to groan as he was dragged bodily behind his beloved, Maka tugging him along by the crisp sleeve of his charcoal grey button up shirt. All the while he struggled hopelessly with the white tie hanging precariously from around his slender neck, trying desperately to fit it in place.

Why he was dressed the way he was, he didn't know, but Maka had insisted they dress at least somewhat formally for the occasion. Since this was the first official dinner on board their ship, Maka was adamant everyone would be dressed the same way, as if to make a good impression on those around them. Not only that, but Crona had a nagging feeling that the Meister was trying her best to impress those around them, as if she hoped to make up for their hopelessly late arrival by showing themselves off at their finest.

Trying his best to hide his stares, Crona looked away from the girl before him, watching her out of the corner of his eye. Dressed in a flowing white dress that fanned out around her amazingly long legs as she walked, Maka looked absolutely radiant, her hair let loose so it tumbled down her back and fanned out over her bare shoulders, curling gently across her creamy skin. Her cheeks slightly pink from exertion and her lips pushed out in an unconscious pout of annoyance, the blond seemed to be clueless of the effect she was having on her companion, the Meister not paying him the slightest bit of attention as she stormed down the corridor, the clicking of her small black heels muffled by the carpet. Green eyes glared ahead with obvious determination and defiance that seemed to be directed at no one in particular, and anyone who dared to get in her way hurriedly moved to the side at their own accord, bowing effortlessly to the regal young woman as she rushed past them, dragging her starry eyed admirer behind her.

For Maka, things were down spiralling fast enough to make her dizzy. On top of everything that had transpired that day, they were now late for dinner. She'd lost track of time, and for her negligence she had been forced to push Crona to his very limit to get him ready. In fact, she had chosen his clothes herself, tossing the outfit he had selected back into his bag carelessly and forcing the startled man aside as she rummaged through his clothes, causing him to blush and flounder around outrageously. Without a word she'd picked the best outfit he had, shoved it to his chest, steered him towards the bathroom door, and unceremoniously pushed him inside, ignoring his whimpers and Ragnarok's shrieks of outrage as if they had been nothing more than whistles in the breeze.

Thinking back on it now, she decided she would regret that in the future. Perhaps her actions had been horrendously uncalled for, seeing as the entire situation was her own fault anyway.

Not like she would ever openly admit that.

And that was another thing. She was storming down these corridors like a hound straight from hell, but she had absolutely _no _idea where she was going. In fact, she had no idea where they were now, let alone where they were supposed to be going. But would she admit that? Would she stop and confess to her companions just how idiotic she was being? No, she would do no such thing. She'd been made a fool of more than enough for one day; she wasn't going to let it happen again. She couldn't imagine what Crona would think of her, and perhaps it would be best if she didn't know at all.

But as the minutes ticked by and they still didn't have any luck, Maka's pout of defiance turned into a look of chagrin, and she came to a halt, looking about hopelessly.

Crona stopped beside her with a relieved sigh, pulling his arm from her grasp to try and do something with his tie. But even with both hands he struggled, and he let out a hopeless whimper before turning to his stunning companion, eyebrows raised.

"M-Maka?"

But the young woman ignored him, her eyes lighting up as a young man rounded the corner a head of them, walking at a leisurely pace towards them. Throwing her pride to the wind the girl hurried forward to stop the teenager half way, her expression jovial.

"Hi! I'm so sorry, but I think we're a little lost…do you know where the dining hall is?"

The teenager stopped, his eyes roving up and down Maka's form, eyes alight with appreciation. He seemed to shake himself before giving her a lopsided, overly friendly smile, tearing his eyes away from her breasts and thighs to look her full in the face.

"Sure thing, I just came from there. Its two floors down from here, the elevator at the end of this corridor will take you to the entrance hall. You can't miss it."

Maka gave him a grateful smile, scratching the back of her head sheepishly, "Thanks, I was getting a little nervous there! I'm not really all that good with directions."

"It's not a problem," the eager teenager grinned, looking her up and down once more, "Not a problem at all!"

Crona, who had been standing beside Maka all this time, gave the other male a flat, unfriendly glare, his black blood beginning to boil in his veins. Crona wasn't quick to anger, in fact he was quite the opposite, but standing there now, watching this boy flirt outrageously with his closest friend, he felt irrationally enraged and possessive. He wasn't going to pretend like he never saw the looks the other boy was giving her, it wasn't like he was trying to hide them at all. In fact, it was like he _wanted _Crona to see them, _wanted _to challenge him.

Well, at least that's what he thought…

"Hey," the teenager suddenly suggested, ignoring Crona completely and giving Maka a warm, almost predatory smile, "Why don't I take you down? I'd be happy to help you out!"

Maka smiled, preparing to decline the seemingly friendly man's offer, but Crona cut her off, stepping forward so he was standing just a head of her, forcing the other man to rip his eyes from Maka.

"No," Crona told him, his voice hard and devoid of emotion as he took Maka's hand in his, ignoring the startled look she was giving him, "W-we can get there on our own. But thank you f-for the offer. Coming, Maka?"

Not even waiting for her reply Crona pulled her away from the wide eyed teenager, his hand tight around hers as he took off in the direction the other male had indicated. He waited for Ragnarok's mocking laughter to pierce the air around him, but even Ragnarok had fallen into stunned silence, not even daring to say anything.

Maka, falling in beside him, looked up at him with confused eyes, her head tilted to one side as she gazed at him. She couldn't see his eyes because of the angle his head was in, shadows and strands of pink hair obscuring her view of those all too familiar stormy eyes, but she could clearly see the firm set of his jaw and the way his lips were turned down, as if he was fighting down a snarl.

Looking from him to the seething teenager behind them, Maka opened her mouth to question him, but she simply closed it again, deciding against it. But she still couldn't help but worry, unsure of just what had caused such a strong reaction from her usually passive and timid friend. Was it something she had said?

Or perhaps…

But she shook that thought aside, biting back a laugh. No, no it certainly couldn't have been anything like _that_…

_Perhaps…_

But her thoughts were interrupted as she felt him tug at her hand, pulling her into an empty elevator. Letting go off her hand he pressed the button that would take them to the floors below, his expression still cold and emotionless.

Leaning against the gold railing behind her, Maka watched as he came and stood next to her, her eyes soft and concerned as he leaned his head back against the glass behind him, his hair falling away from his face to reveal his troubled, dark grey eyes. The swordsman gazed up at the elevator ceiling, not looking at her, seemingly lost in his own emotions.

Gazing at him, Maka struggled for a moment, before giving in; desperate to sooth her friend from whatever was troubling him. Moving to lean against him and rest her head on his shoulder, Maka let out a soft, delicate sigh, feeling the young man tense up beneath her. But she ignored him, moving to link her arm with his. She nuzzled her cheek into the soft, shining material of his shirt, breathing in the familiar smell of him, and her other arm came round to wrap itself around his arm and pull it to her in a tight embrace.

It didn't take long for Crona to melt, his body going slack beneath her as he relaxed his muscles. Looking down at her out of the corner of his eye he saw her flash him a warm, radiant smile, her cheeks tinted a delicate pink. Blushing, Crona hurriedly looked away, becoming very interested in the intricate designs painting the roof above them, trying his best to ignore the young woman leaning so intimately against him.

Maka couldn't help but giggle, happy to see that his momentary bout of turmoil had passed. As the elevator came to a halt and its door slid open, Maka spun on the spot, her hands grabbing both of his as she spun to face him, pulling him by his long slender arms towards the door and out the other side, smiling from ear to ear.

Blushing furiously, Crona allowed himself to be pulled along bodily, stumbling after her. A small smile graced his lips as Maka gave a laugh of delight, spinning them in a circle across the marble floor, her dress fanning out around her, the young woman seemingly giddy with her own joy and excitement as she twirled and danced with him.

"M-Maka…" Crona breathed finally as their spin slowed to a halt, his eyes alight as he gazed at the grinning Meister before him. At the sound of her name Maka cocked her head to one side slightly, unconsciously pulling herself forwards so she stood right up against him, their bodies flush against one another, hands entwined at their sides. She look up at him with shining, curious green eyes, and Crona felt his whole face burn, his cheeks burning an almost black shade of red.

"Yes? You wanted to say something?"

Crona floundered and stuttered helplessly, unable to say anything even remotely coherent. He could feel every curve and dip of her luscious body moulding onto his, feel her breasts pressing against his chest as she breathed, feel the steady rhythm of her heart pulsing against his own frantic one. Did she do this _deliberately_? Was she _trying _to kill him? He wouldn't be surprised, lots of people wanted to do that, but did she have to go about doing it like _this_? He could only imagine what his obituary would say.

_Crona Gorgon, killed tragically from severe blood loss and excessive amounts of blood sent straight to the head. May he rest in _peace_._

And at this rate, he wasn't exactly sure _which _head they would be referring to, but if the throbs coming from just below his naval was any indication, he certainly wasn't going to die from brain damage.

"Um…M-M-Maka…I-I th-think…" he attempted, looking away from her to stare at the marble floor, eyes half lidded. He felt Maka give his hands a squeeze, and he almost jumped out his skin, blushing all the more.

"Yes?"

Oh god, what did he think again? He had no idea what he wanted to say. His thoughts rushed through his head and tangled themselves together, becoming a gigantic wreck in his mind that caused his head to spin and his sight to blur. He was going to be sick, he could feel it coming, oh god please _make it stop!_

"I-I think w-we're…um…l-l-late!" he finally choked out, flashing her a tiny, nervous smile as he screwed his eyes shut, pleading hopelessly for her to move away from him, to stop touching him, to stop staring at him with those stunning eyes, to stop making his heart want to burst from his chest and soar away like a bird on the breeze.

Was that too much to ask? Perhaps he should take one step at a time. He just wanted her to _move_.

He heard Maka give out a low gasp, and his spirits rose, "Damn, _yes!_ I completely forgot!"

Opening his eyes, Crona watched as she looked about on the spot, the young woman's eyes alight with anxiety, looking around pleadingly. But they soon turned to wide eyed stares of astonishment and wonder, the Meister's jaw going slack.

Curious, Crona looked around as well, and he felt his own eyes grow wide with amazement.

They hadn't noticed it before, but they were standing in the centre of a large, ostentatious opening hall. The floor was of polished marble in varies shades of creams and browns, the different colours swirling around them and going round in loops to merge together at the spot beneath their feet. The walls gleamed much the same as the floor did, and they were a rich shade of dark brown. Hanging from an ornately designed ceiling was a gleaming, sparkling chandelier that showered them and the entire hall with glittered strands of different coloured lights, causing every surface to gleam and sparkle.

After a moment of simply staring, Maka gave a little laugh, sweat beading on her face.

"Wow…this place sure is…fancy…"

Crona nodded in agreement, dumbstruck. He'd never been anywhere near a place like this in his life. This was extremely foreign territory for him. How was he supposed to deal with a place like this?

Maka looked up at him, smiling gently, knowing all too well what he must be feeling. But as she stared at him, she noticed something she'd failed to see before, and she let out an exasperated sigh.

"_Crona_!"

Startled by her tone of voice, Crona jumped, letting out a low squeak, "Y-y-yes?"

Shaking her head, Maka reached up and took his tie out from around his neck, letting the glowing material fall into her hands. Crona watched in wide eyed horror as Maka pressed herself up against him once more, wrapping her arms around his neck for a moment to get the tie around the collar of his shirt.

"You should have told me you didn't know how to do this! Here, let me help you. I do this all the time!" Maka scolded him, ignorant of the effect she was having on him or what they would appear to be for other viewers around them. Letting out a sound of disapproval she buttoned up the first few buttons on his shirt, which Crona had deliberately overlooked, and began to fasten the snowy tie in place, eyes narrowed in concentration.

Watching her work, Crona felt an overwhelming sense of longing. To her, this was just a task, but to him it was more significant than she could ever imagine. He wanted to be able to pull her into his arms and hold her, but he couldn't, not now. Why did she torment him the way she did? He knew she didn't do it deliberately; she had no idea what affects she had on him, but did she have to be so forward with him, so open and care free? Perhaps it would be better if she'd be just as embarrassed by their touches and moments of contact as he was. Then moments like these would be fewer and further between, and he wouldn't have to be afraid of losing his mind or running away from her anymore. But that was the problem. He only felt that way because he _wanted _her, and he doubted she would ever feel the same way for him.

This thought sobered him more than he would have liked; he thought he had come to terms with the fact that she would never return his feelings, but from the pang of agony in his chest and the clenching of his throat, he knew it was otherwise. But he knew not to dwell on it too much, and he forcefully pushed it aside, focusing instead on the moment at hand.

It didn't take long for Maka to finish her little task, and she smiled from ear to ear when she finally patted the impeccably neat formal accessary in place, beaming with self-pride, "There, now _that's _more like it!"

Taking a step back, much to Crona's relief, Maka looked him up and down, examining her handiwork. But as she did so, she couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush.

Yes, this finalized it. Crona was _never _going back into that dress of his, not if she could help it. The sight of him was enough to send her mouth as dry as sandpaper. Dressed in a pair of more loosely fitting black jeans, a shining dark grey silk shirt and his famous black boots, he looked beyond amazing. And as she stared at him, a thought hit her so hard that she almost fell over backwards.

She found him _extremely _handsome.

Stunned, Maka tried desperately to push the thought away, fighting tooth and nail to deny it. She shouldn't be thinking like that, Crona was her closest friend, it wasn't right to think something like that. It would scare him away from her, she was sure of it. And thoughts like that weren't healthy…no, that was a lie…

It was natural for a girl to find a guy attractive, surely it was… surely Black star, Soul and Kid were attractive, why shouldn't Crona be too? But…she had never thought like that about _them_…

Only Crona…Crona, her closest friend, the one she loved above all others, the one she cherished and held closest to her heart. _Her _Crona…

Eyes going wide, Maka felt her cheeks go fire truck red, and she took a small step back, the poor girl feeling as if she had been hit by a speeding train.

Alarmed by her sudden change, Crona moved forward tentatively, expression anxious, "M-Maka? Are you o-okay?"

Maka simply stared at him for a moment more, before shaking her head furiously, her hair swaying from side to side. She flashed him a fake, beaming smile, waving her hands as if to shrug it off.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Hey, maybe we should go!" she hurriedly suggested, waving towards a large set of double doors behind them that undoubtedly led to the dining hall. And if the two of them focused hard enough, they could hear the dim thrum of chatter coming from behind the thick oak doors, hinting to just how many people were still enjoying themselves inside.

Crona gave a small nod, but his eyes still bored into her, the swordsman obviously unconvinced. Had he done something wrong? Did he look odd? Was she having second thoughts…whatever it was, something was bothering her. He knew her all too well to know when she wasn't happy about something.

But just what that was, he had no idea.

Allowing her to take his hand once more, Crona followed her towards the door, casting a nervous glance at her before hurriedly pulling at the tie around his neck, loosening it so that it hung down over his chest, and he undid the buttons she had fastened. He felt a little guilty about ruining her work, but he couldn't help but feel hopelessly ridiculous and constrained. He didn't like having the useless thing so tightly around his neck, and he _never _did up the buttons at his neck. He had never done it before, and he certainly wasn't going to do it now.

Pushing open the double doors with surprising ease, the two Meisters entered the dining hall, only to stop and gape, the double doors closing behind them of their own accord. The two teenagers let out twin gasps of awe, and Crona's eye twitched, the young man letting out a single, nervous laugh.

If the halls and rooms had surprised them, the sight of the dining hall would have been enough to send them both into paralytic shock. The hall itself wasn't one story, but _three_. The floor they were on now was the very bottom floor, and it opened out in the centre, revealing the two other stories above, the upper floors turning out to be balconies, and on each side of the room two grand staircases stood, gleaming magnificently. Gold coloured glass pillars supported the balconies above, sparkling like crystals in the light, and the ceiling high up above them sparkled with twinkling lights, seeming for all the world like the starry sky outside.

Maka stared for a moment longer, before letting out a cry of delight, her eyes aglow with wonder.

"Crona! Look at it, it's…it's-"

"Where's the food!" Ragnarok interrupted her rudely, bursting from Crona back to look around with rolling, angry eyes, "I couldn't give a fuck what the place looks like, I'm starving!"

Crona winced, noticing as a nearby couple sitting not too far from them gaped at the weapon sprouting from his back with obvious astonishment and horror. The young woman even went so far as to drop her wine glass, the delicate piece shattering as it hit the marble floor. But the woman ignored it, far too busy staring at him to notice the mess she'd just made.

"Ragnarok…" Crona murmured in warning, pleading for the weapon to restrain himself, but Ragnarok just pulled his hair in response, not even slightly phased.

Maka rolled her eyes and began to guide them both to an empty table. As she walked, she saw an all too familiar face beaming at them from a nearby table, and she scowled, her jaw clenching angrily.

Spirit smiled and waved enthusiastically, pointing at the two empty chairs in front of him happily. Both teenagers watched with obvious disdain as the Death Scythe scrambled out his chair and ran around the table to pull the two chairs back for them, waving his arm to them extravagantly and giving him his widest, most endearing smile.

But no dice. Maka didn't even spare him a glance as she walked past, giving Crona a rather violent tug as she led him past. Crona heard a wail of anguish from behind him as they went, and he turned to see the older man bodily collapse into his chair, weeping pathetically.

"Idiot…" Maka muttered under her breath, eyes as hard as steel. She heard Crona give a nervous, insecure laugh behind her, and she smiled slightly, squeezing his hand in reply.

They chose the only empty table, one that was unfortunately quite close to Spirit's, but Ragnarok strongly approved of it, pointing out rather loudly that one of the buffet tables was nearby, much to Maka's annoyance. They sat down beside one another and looking from left and right, not exactly sure what to do. A waitress came over to take their drink orders, and after she shuffled off to get their drinks Crona and Maka sat in silence, obviously unsure of just what happened next.

It didn't take very long for Ragnarok to lose what little patience he had.

"Oh for _fucks _sakes, Crona! _Get up, go to the table, and get me my food!_ It's not that fucking difficult!"

Maka threw the demon an annoyed glare, standing to her feet. She gave him a slightly smug, wicked smile, her voice layered with obvious mirth "If you're so desperate for food, maybe you should get it yourself."

As Crona stood to his feet to follow her, Ragnarok leaned out as far as he could, shaking his little fist pathetically at the smirking Meister, "Oh, so you're trying to be funny now, aren't you cow?"

"My, whatever gave you that idea?"

As Maka walked off to get them plates, Ragnarok crossed his arms over his Meister's head and muttered darkly, resting his chin in Crona pink hair, his eyes narrowed angrily, "You really know how to pick em', dumb ass! Your girlfriend's a right ugly bitch…"

Crona blushed furiously, going as rigid as a pole, "_R-Ragnarok_! She's not my g-g-g-gi…you know what! And d-don't say stuff l-like that about h-her!"

His companion made a scoffing sound, rolling his eyes, "Whatever dumb ass, I'm not in the mood for this right now."

Crona felt his eye twitch, and he muttered under his breath, looking down at the floor impudently, "B-but you started it…"

Ragnarok let out a growl above him, preparing to make a grab for Crona's ears, but he stopped as Maka joined them, a gleaming plate in each hand. She passed one to Crona and led him over to the open buffet table, smiling reassuringly.

Ragnarok, on the other hand, felt thoroughly done in, "Hey, cow! Where's _my _plate!"

Maka gave him a glance, then covered her mouth with one hand, seemingly stunned, "Oops, did I forget to bring yours? I'm so sorry!"

For Ragnarok, it was all just too much.

"You _fucking _bitch! You did this on purpose! I'm going to kill you, I swear!" he screeched, eyes bulging with rage as he reached out desperately in an attempt to throttle her, his little gloved fists waving comically in the air. But he was too far away to get a hold of her, and Crona certainly wasn't going to help.

Maka rolled her eyes, making a grab for a bun from a nearby basket, "Oh, do be quiet Ragnarok. Where were you going to put it anyway? On Crona's head? No, you and Crona will share a plate."

Ragnarok still didn't look impressed, and he crossed his arms, sulking, "Is it too much to fucking ask to be independent for once?"

Maka made a noise of exasperation, ignoring him. She continued on down the buffet table, making her way eagerly to the salad end.

Stunned to be left to his own devices, Crona looked up and down the table, looking for something he liked. If he was totally honest with himself, he had no idea what even half the stuff was meant to be. There were all different kinds of stuff, and he didn't have the slightest idea just what he was going to eat.

Following Maka's example, he took a bun from the basket, then after a roaring fit from Ragnarok, hurriedly snatched up another.

As they walked down the table, Ragnarok assisted him in gathering food, the weapon punching his Meister repeatedly as he went.

"There, dumbass! That one, get some of that!" the demon demanded, pointing wildly.

"Get some of what?"

"That!"

"W-what? This?"

"No, to the right! _No_, not your right, my right!"

"B-but we have the same right! Do you mean th-this?"

"No! That's shitty, it's all green and slimy! That crap is bad for you!"

"Then what?"

"That yellow stuff! Get lots of it! Oh, and that brown stuff!"

"B-but…what is it?"

"How the fuck should I know? It's _food_!"

Down at the other end of the table, Maka watched them with wide eyes, sweat beading on her forehead, "Oh, dear…"

Beside her, a woman with inky black hair and glowing gold eyes tilted her head to get a look at the demonic pair, her eyes wide, "Oh my gosh! How _cute_! That little one is soooo adorable! But…I think they're trying to kill each other!"

Maka laughed, smiling, "Yeah, I know. But they mean well!"

The older woman gave her a look of astonishment, her stunning face alight with wonder, "You know them?"

The blond Meister nodded, warming up to the friendly woman, "Of course! They're here with me!"

The curvaceous woman looked from her to the pink haired Meister, who was trying his best to keep Ragnarok from pulling his hair while trying to carry their over flowing plate with one hand, the young man teetering precariously on the spot, "I see. Oh! He must be you boyfriend, right? How sweet!"

Maka blushed furiously, shaking her head hurriedly, "N-no, you miss under-,"

The woman cut her off, nudging her slyly, "Oh no, don't be so shy! I know a couple when I see one! Oh, you two are just the cutest things!"

Maka shrank on the spot, blushing for all her worth. She shook her head desperately, her hair flying this way and that, "No! He's not my boyfriend! That's my best friend! We're just…really close…"

The other woman looked her up and down, then smiled apologetically, cocking her head to one side, "Oh! I'm sorry, I…"

Maka smiled, waving the apology off, "No, it's okay, really!"

But as she said it, she couldn't help but look back at Crona, her words echoing in her head over and over again.

_He must be your boyfriend, right?_

And with it, memories from earlier hit her like a brick, the way he'd looked standing there, how handsome he was. How he'd verbally attacked the other boy who'd been nice to her. How they'd been so close in the hall, dancing together and staring into one another's eyes…

_Boyfriend…_

Shaking her head furiously, Maka turned back to the ebony haired woman, who was looking at her curiously, obviously taking note of the girl's distraction, "So…are you late too? And sorry, I'm Maka by the way!"

The woman beamed, holding out a hand to shake eagerly, "Hi! I'm Victoria! But most just call me Vicky! Yeah, I'm late too; I forgot what time I was meant to be here!"

Maka smiled, taking a liking to the bubbly young woman, "So, are you here with anyone? Friends maybe or…"

Victoria shook her head, midnight locks flying, "No, I'm here all on my lonesome," she admitted, slumping, "They were all busy working, so I had to come on my own. It really sucks…but, I guess I should just make the best of it, right?"

Maka looked at the saddened woman with obvious sympathy, before brightening up, her eyes alight, "That's too bad! But if you want, you can come sit with us…!"

Victoria snapped around to look at her, gold eyes wide, "You mean it?"

Maka nodded, and Victoria let out a squeal of delight, lunging forward to pull the startled blond into a tight embrace, smothering the girl in her large cleavage.

"Oh, thank you so much! I hate sitting on my own, it makes me so sad! Thank you so much Maka!"

Maka tried her best to pry the woman off her, but failed miserably, and was forced to pat her back, her face turning blue from lack of oxygen, "Y-your welcome, Vicky b-but…I can't _breathe_!"

Victoria hurriedly moved away from the girl, Maka letting out a desperate gasp as she went.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I get a little over excited sometimes…" Victoria admitted, scratching the back of her head and closing her eyes sheepishly. Maka almost scoffed at the obvious understatement, but she shrugged it off, giving the woman a weak smile.

After they had collected their dinner the two women walked over to their table, Maka leading and chatting away eagerly. Crona had long since abandoned his search for food and was sitting at the table, staring down at his plate of food, a plate overflowing with enough food to feed a small army. After a while of searching Ragnarok had insisted they simply take _everything_, deciding that if they didn't like something, they could just toss it over their shoulders and hope they'd hit Spirit somewhere along the line. Crona had been slightly dubious, but could not deny that the idea was terribly tempting.

Well, it had seemed so at the time. Now looking at all that food, he felt incredibly ill.

Looking up from his plate, Crona gave Maka a look of terror and helplessness, raising one finger to point lamely at the plate before him, "M-Maka, I don't think I k-know how to-,"

But he cut off, his eyes going as wide as saucers when he saw the curvy woman beside his beloved, his hand beginning to shake and sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. He let out a pathetic sounding whimper of confusion, and Maka gave him a warm smile of reassurance, waving to the golden eyed woman gently.

"Crona, this is Victoria, a new friend of mine! Victoria, this is Crona…try not to be too forward with him, he's a little nervous," Maka added quietly, whispering behind her hand. But Victoria simply smiled, coming forward to offer Crona a slender, well-manicured hand.

"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you!" she sang, her voice brimming with joviality, "You can call me Vicky!"

Crona stared at her in terror for a moment, before reaching out to shake her hand tentatively, "N-n-nice to m-meet you t-too…"

Victoria grinned, turning to the black demon before her, who all the while had been devouring his bun, completely uninterested, "And you! Aren't you just the cutest thing! Your name is?"

Ragnarok went still, turning to look at her with rolling cross eyes. Mouth still full of bread, he impudently stuck his tongue out at her; slippery bread perched precariously on the end of his tongue. He let out a wicked laugh of delight as Victoria stared at him in wide eyed astonishment; sweat beading on the side of her face.

"R-Ragnarok!" Crona cried in alarm, waving his arms to the stunned woman in apology, "I-I'm sorry! He d-doesn't m-mean to be rude… This is Ragnarok, my…"

But Victoria wasn't listening to him, and she jumped forward to grab the demon and pulled him into a bone-crushing embrace, letting out a squeal of delight, "You are so…so…_adorable_!"

Choking on the bread he had stuck out at her just moments before, Ragnarok tried his best to pry the woman off him, crying out for help from his Meister, "_Crona_! Get this cow off me! Oh my god, she's trying to rape me! Dumb ass, do something!"

Completely stunned, never having been in a situation like this, Crona had no idea how to help his weapon, and he stuttered uselessly, trying to crane his head back to get a look at the bubbly woman, hands flailing in the air hopelessly. But his attempts didn't help Ragnarok at all, and it was eventually Maka who helped the demon, much to his astonishment.

"Okay, come now. I think that's enough for now…" Maka suggested, gently prying Victoria off of Ragnarok. The demon had just enough time to stare at Maka in open mouthed wonder before collapsing bodily onto his Meister's head, tears leaking from his eyes as he tried to regain his breath.

Taking the seat opposite from Maka, Victoria continued on as if nothing had happened, proceeding to eat her food and engage the two startled teenagers in idle chatter, the two learning things about her that they would rather have wished they didn't. But as they talked, Maka found herself growing fond of the woman, and the two chattered eagerly to one another, laughing and telling one another stories.

But as the dinner progressed, Crona couldn't help but stare at her, a nagging, unsettling feeling building up inside him.

"Hey! I'm going for dessert, you guys want some too?" Victoria eventually asked eagerly. Maka and Crona both stared at her in amazement, the two teenagers stuffed beyond belief. Crona hadn't even finished all his food, and it lay to the side, chunks and bits of it scattered across his side of the table.

"No, we're both fine, I think we'll ju-," Maka attempted, but Ragnarok cut her off, waving a fist at her angrily.

"Hey, who says I don't want anything? I want some dessert too! Crona, get off your fat ass and get me some!"

Sighing, Crona got up, not eager to follow the bubbly woman. He wished he could stay with Maka, but he could only imagine what would happen if he did so. Ragnarok would certainly have a fit to remember.

Moving over to the dessert table, Crona began to dish up ice cream and other assorted treats for his weapon. But as he did so he felt a shadow loom up beside him, and the Meister went dead still, his eyes going wide.

"You coming for some dessert? I like chocolate ice cream too, it's so tasty, don't you think?

Crona looked slowly to the side, grey eyes meeting blue. Spirit stood beside him, his forced jovial smile in place as he scooped helping after helping of ice cream into his already brimming bowl. Crona stared at him for a moment longer before looking away, biting at his lip in fear.

"N-no. I-it's for R-Ragnarok…"

"Oh, I see then!" Spirit sang, leaning over as if to get himself some sauces from just beyond his reach. But as his hand closed around the strawberry sauce he stopped, his face just a hairs breadth away from Crona's own, causing the young Meister to whimper in horror.

"Listen here Crona," he murmured under his breath, his voice low and menacing, "I know you and Maka will be sharing a bed for the rest of this trip, as much as I tried to save her from that. But I couldn't. But let me tell you this. If you lay a single finger on my precious daughter, if you even _think _about taking advantage of her, I'll personally kill you. You may not be like other men your age, but you're still just that, a _man_. So keep your hands off my little Maka, you hear me?"

Crona gasped, taking a small involuntary step back. He stared at the man before him with wide, slightly wild eyes, shivering uncontrollably.

"I-I would n-n-never do anything l-like that! Y-yes sir, I s-swear I won't…" he stuttered finally, lowering his head so his eyes were hidden from the over bearing Death Scythe. He heard Spirit let out a low grunt of approval before the red head clapped a hand down on Crona's shoulder, almost sending the young Meister flying.

"Great to hear that! Now run along now! Your ice cream will melt if you stand here too long!"

Numb, Crona nodded, turning and retreating back to their table.

Victoria was already long time back from the dessert table, and she devoured her cake and ice cream with gusto, smiling and licking her lips all the while. Maka was ordering a glass of water as he came up and sat down beside her, the swordsman dropping his bowl onto the table lifelessly. Without a word he sat down, eyes glued to the table, his expression blank.

Maka noticed his change immediately, and she leaned closer to him, eyes filled with worry, "Crona…are you okay?"

But Crona remained silent, his hair hiding his eyes from her. Maka felt panic stab at her heart, and she reached out, touching his shoulder gently.

"Crona, come one! What's wrong? Please talk to me!"

Crona lowered his head all the more, huddling up in his chair. Emotions swirled and raged inside him, and he couldn't help but shed a tear, the salty dew drop rolling down his cheek.

But it wasn't a tear of sadness.

It was a tear of barely contained _rage_.

Spirit's threat had been intimidating enough, but sitting there now, he felt unbearable anger bubbling inside him, mingled with astonishment and resentment. What right did that man have to tell him to not touch Maka, like it was _his _fault they were in this situation? What right did he have for telling him to keep his hands off her, when he himself went around touching and running after women on a day to day basis, hurting his ex-wife and daughter with every new fling? What right did he have to act like the over protective father, when he neglected his roles on a day to day basis, putting his desires first before considering what his 'little girl' wanted?

And after everything Crona had been put through, what Maka had been put through, he had the _nerve _to come up and threaten _him_?

Crona hadn't lied too. He wouldn't even dream of using Maka or touching her, not unless she wanted him too, which he was quite sure she _didn't_. How barbaric did that man think he was? How _dare _he think he would hurt Maka, the one person he cherished most above all others, the woman he threw his life away for to protect her, the woman he loved more than anything else? How _dare _he..?

It was too much. Unable to control himself, Crona began to shake, clenching his jaw and baring his teeth to the table below him, a growling snarl escaping him that would eventually turn into a wild roar of uncontrollable rage. He'd felt like this before, while facing off to his aunt Arachne all that time ago in Loew Village, but now it hit him tenfold, like a tidal wave hitting him and dragging him down faster than the eye could blink.

Maka felt him shake, and her eyes went wide with horror.

"Crona, what's going o-,"

"It's that bastard father of yours, cow!" Ragnarok finally shrieked, the weapon having retreated into his Meister's back earlier. He burst from between Crona's shoulder blades and waved his fist in Maka's face, the weapon frothing at the mouth with barely contained blood lust and anger.

Crona's teeth clenched all the harder, and he balled s fists angrily, shrinking lower in his chair, "It's nothing, Maka…just leave it."

Maka ignored his growl, her expression icy. She cast her retreating father a venomous glare before turning back to the seething Ragnarok, the demon glaring daggers at the passing Death Scythe.

"What did he do Ragnarok? Tell me, _now_!"

"Maka, I told you, it's nothing!" Crona tried to amend, but he failed miserably, his voice trembling. It was obvious he was lying, and he knew it.

"That sick fuck just went and _threatened _Crona! He says if Crona lays a finger on you at all in these next two weeks, he'll tear him to shreds! _What a fucking piece of work!_ I swear to god I'll kill him!" Ragnarok screeched, his balled fists waving in the air, enraged at what the older man had just done to his Meister. In his eyes, no one but himself had the right to pick on his partner, and if anyone dared to try he'd kill them himself without a moment's hesitation.

Maka's eyes went wide, her face going pasty white. The hand gripping Crona's shoulder tightened, her nails digging into his shirt, and Crona sucked in a startled breath, eyes widening slightly.

"Oh really….he did now, did he….?"

The waitress came by and dropped off Maka's water, not even waiting for a thank you. But Maka didn't even attempt to give her one. Getting up, Maka snatched the water off the table, turned, and stormed off, her white dress fanning around her as she walked, heels clicking angrily.

"Hey, what the _fuck_ is _she _doing?" Ragnarok demanded, turning to watch Maka go. Crona went still, and he turned around, watching with wide eyes.

And what happened next sent his eyes as wide as saucers.

Maka stopped beside her father, eyes aflame with rage. Spirit turned to look up at her with a smile, chocolate staining the side of his lips, but it shrank when he saw the look on her face.

And, before he even had time to react, Maka raised the glass over his head and turned it over, icy cold water falling and dousing the man instantly.

"You try doing that him again, and I will do far worse to you, you hear me!" Maka demanded, eyes wild and slightly insane, tinged with the slightest hint of black blooded madness.

Spirit stared up at his daughter, wide eyed, water dripping from his blood red hair. He stuttered and tried to speak, but Maka cut him off, eyes glinting like steel.

"I thought so," she growled darkly before twirling on her heel, making her way back to her table. When she got there she was greeted with the sight of Crona staring at her in open mouthed shock and wonder, while Victoria and Ragnarok both roared with laughter, the little demon waving his fists in the air in delight.

"I knew it, I fucking _knew _it! You've got balls, bitch! Maybe you're not as bad as you look!"

"He deserved worse…" Maka growled, dropping into her seat beside Crona. Without thinking she reached out and took his hand in hers and pulled it to her lap, sitting with his hand in both of hers as she stroked his skin, as if trying to sooth herself and him at the same time.

Crona flushed, staring at her in amazement, before smiling, a smile of genuine happiness and gratitude stretching from one ear to the other.

"Thank you…Maka…"

* * *

Finally, as the dinner drew to a close and they got up to leave, Victoria offering to walk back with them, Crona decided it was about time to voice his concerns, and after the drama from before, he decided now would be the best time to go into action. He covered his mouth with one hand, calling to his weapon as quietly as possible, praying to god that the weapon would understand his need for subtleness.

"What? What you want, dumb ass?" Ragnarok demanded, leaning down so their heads were beside one another, the weapon following Crona's obvious command to be quiet.

"I…I'm not sure but…V-Vicky seems really…f-familiar…"

Ragnarok threw the woman a wicked, spiteful glare, watching as the two new found friends laughed and chatted just a few paces a head of them, "You know…you might actually have something there, dumb ass… I don't like her, not one bit!"

Crona watched her, his eyes hard, "S-something's not right…Maka s-seems to like h-her, though…"

"What does it matter how she feels? She's not paying close enough attention to that bitch! It's you who sees it, not her!"

The Meister threw his weapon a look of chagrin, "B-but…what if I'm wrong?"

"Don't consider that, you stupid fuck!"

"You're j-just saying that because you d-don't like her…"

"_Excuse _me?" he hissed, trying his best not to shriek, grabbing Crona by one ear and tugging violently, causing the swordsman to bite harshly at his lower lip in an attempt to hold back his scream of pain, "For your information, I feel the same way you do! There's something not fucking on about that woman, and we both know it!"

Crona opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off when he almost walked smack bang into Maka's back, the man letting out a squeak of shock. When he looked around, he was amazed to find himself just outside their suite, the infamous number thirteen gleaming against the snowy white door.

"So, you guys sharing a room?" Victoria asked, looking at the two Meisters with a slightly mischievous gleam in her eyes. Both Crona and Maka jumped on the spot, and they nodded, looking at the floor as if ashamed.

"How _nice_! Well, guess what! My room's not too far down from here! I'm in room twenty! Isn't that awesome!"

Ragnarok let out a small, barely audible groan of despair, burying his face in the back of Crona's hair, and Crona felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, but Maka seemed thrilled, smiling with delight.

"That's great! Perhaps we can meet up some time!"

"Yes, _definitely!_ Well, I won't keep you two from your _fun_! Nighty night!" Victoria purred, her voice layered with obvious suggestiveness. Crona and Maka both blushed brilliant shades of red as the woman twirled on the spot and sauntered down the corridor, waving to them as she went.

Crona and Maka watched her go, neither of them saying a word. As Victoria disappeared from sight they turned, eyes falling on one another. Grey eyes met green, and they simply stared, neither one even daring to breath.

After what felt like an eternity Crona reached his hand into his jean pocket, eyes not leaving hers for a second as he pulled out their bedroom key. After a moment Maka reached her hand out, and he placed it in her hand with shaking fingers, the swordsman's eyes moving down to stare at the little gold item.

Tearing her eyes away from her slender companion, Maka slipped the key into the lock, stunned that her shaking hand was even able to do such a task. After a moment of hesitation to pushed the door open and looked towards Crona with wide, shining green eyes before walking into their darkened suite.

Moving to stand in the doorway, Crona watched as she walked into their room, his eyes drifting down, seeing how her hips seemed to sway as she walked, seeing as the moon streaming through their balcony door lit her dress up, causing her to glow like an angel. He saw how she slipped out of her high heels and kicked them to one side, the woman seeming to move in slow motion to his wide and slightly terrified eyes. He saw how her dress seemed to slide down her back, the dress coming loose after the more than a little eventful evening, revealing her creamy back and shoulders that shone in the pale moonlight.

And as he stared, he felt his stomach drop through his shoes and his heart begin to beat frantically, a dull throbbing beginning to form at his naval that would surely send him mad.

Walking into the dark apartment and closing the door shakily behind him, Crona watched as Maka gathered her stuff from her bag, preparing to go get ready for bed. He came over to stand by her, and as she turned around to head for the bathroom she almost ran into him, the young woman stopping just short. She looked up at him with wide, luminous eyes, and Crona blushed, his pale face aglow.

After a moment she hurried past him, scampering into the bathroom and closing the door firmly behind her. Sighing, feeling as if he was on the verge of death, Crona pulled his tie up over his head, tossing it into his waiting bag. With trembling fingers he began to unbutton his shirt, undergoing the task in eerie silence, the room around him dark and ominous. The shirt slipped from his slender shoulders down his arms, and he shivered as the cool air washed over his heated skin, his pale back gleaming in the moonlight.

Hurriedly he slipped off his boots and pulled off his jeans, changing into a loose fitting black top and steel grey boxers, the sleeping attire he had chosen while shopping the day before. He suddenly realized just how exposed he was in a set of clothes like these, and he flushed, looking down at his long bare legs.

But he wasn't given any time to mull things over, and the Meister let out a low intake of breath as he heard the bathroom door open behind him, light streaming into the room to light him up from behind.

Biting back the urge to shriek in terror Crona turned around, shivering uncontrollably, and when his eyes finally fell on the woman he'd be sleeping beside for the next two weeks, he felt his jaw drop, the young man almost taking a step back.

Maka stood framed in the bathroom doorway, the light radiating around her. Dressed in a white, tight fitting pyjama shirt and a pair of red shorts than didn't really make much of a different on her long, slender legs, the sight of her left his mouth dry and set his cheeks to flame. Even now he could see she wasn't wearing a bra, her nipples straining against the material of her shirt in the cool night air. And he could tell she knew he could see them, since she brought her arms up to cross them over her breasts, looking away with embarrassment.

Switching the light off as she went the young woman came over to toss her clothes in her bag, before hefting it off the bed and dragging it to one corner of the room. Crona followed her example and placed his suitcase not too far from hers, the small task seeming to take forever in the young man's eyes.

Once the bed was cleared, they both stopped on either side of it, both of them eyeing it nervously. The gold sheets shone radiantly in the moonlight, and a sea breeze from one of the open windows sent the curtains at its sides to swaying gently, moving with the salty night air.

Maka bit her lip, and she looked up and across to where Crona stood, her cheeks heating up. She saw the way he too was blushing, the way he cast about desperately for an alternate solution. She too could feel it, the awkwardness, the heaviness in the air, the feeling of falling faster than she could have ever thought possible. It sent her nerves aflame, and she became hyper aware of the world around her. She could see the way the light reflected off the covers, see the way it sent Crona's skin alight, see the way the small yet defined muscles had begun to form on his arms, stomach and upper body, see the way his cheeks were stained with red and his eyes were unconsciously sensually half lidded, heavy breaths gushing from his slightly parted lips, his expression shy yet unbelievably erotic all at the same time.

Finally, Maka made the first move, casting a shaky but reassuring smile across at him before climbing onto the bed, the young Scythe Meister nimbly moving the covers away so she could crawl inside. All the while Crona stared at her in open mouthed astonishment, beyond horrified.

Pulling the covers up to her chest the blond tucked herself in comfortably, momentarily stunned by how luxuriously soft and warm the bed was. Stretching her legs beneath the covers as far as they could go, Maka arched her back to make herself comfortable before turning to face her wild eyed companion, giving him a shy smile.

"Y-you coming, Crona?"

Startled by her voice Crona jumped, stunned out of the day dream he had been locked in while staring at the way she had stretched and arched below the covers just moments ago. His shivers drew to a grinding halt, and he nodded slowly, letting out a low, nervous sound.

Lifting the covers back and climbing in, Crona felt every nerve in his body roar into life, every fibre of his being suddenly hyper aware of anything and everything he touched or saw. The material of the bed seemed to scratch and burn at his skin, and he became painfully aware of how close Maka's warm, pulsing body was to his, seemingly just a hairs breadth away from him. He could feel and hear her breath breezing over him, and he pushed down an involuntary shiver that threatened to send him over the edge.

And as he turned to face Maka, the two Meisters lying on their sides and curling up, their faces inches apart, he saw that she must be feeling the same way, her cheeks aflame and her eyes wide and shining. They lay like that in the dark, simply staring at each other, their eyes wide and their mouths slightly agape.

Finally, Maka gave him a shaky smile, curling up and snuggling into her pillow, her hair fanning out around her blushing face to tumble down her pillow, "Goodnight, Crona…"

Unable to smile, his teeth chattering with fear and nerves, Crona simply nodded, "G-g-goodnight…M-M-Maka…"

But he didn't close his eyes, choosing to stare at her angelic face instead. But the longer he stared the more warm he became, and soon his member was throbbing, causing him to whimper and curl in on himself all the more.

It felt _so_ bad, it was almost painful.

Letting out a soft groan, Crona turned his back on Maka, curling into a ball and moving as close to the edge as possible to get away from his beloved, but no matter how far he got, he could still feel her warmth against his back, still feel her breathing against his neck. He blushed and fought back another groan, longing to reach down and touch his aching sex to sooth himself, but he almost gagged at the thought, horrified of doing such a thing while even being in the same room as Maka, let alone in the same _bed_.

It was all just too much, and Crona let out a pathetic, hopeless whimper, hugging himself and burying his face in his pillow, trying his best to ignore the already sleeping woman beside him.

This was going to be a long, long, _long _night.

* * *

**LOL, sorry for the late update guys! ^^; I was busy with school and Chains that Bind us! X_X But it's all better now! :3 And it's the holidays, so yayz! XD**

**By the way, it may seem to many of you that I'm picking on Spirit, but the think is I'm not. I just love laughing at him! I mean, I love Spirit to death, but I love turning him into comic relief. Not only that, but he plays a very important role in this story! You'll see later on as things progress! :) Also, Spirit meant well, but he practically dug his own grave. He thought he was doing the right thing for himself, and for his daughter, but his own wants got in the way just like they always do, and now he's paying the price. He was trying to protect his daughter by threatening Crona, which was his last ditch effort at saving what he saw as a fail of a holidays for his daughter and her innocence.**

**Oh, and I also hope that Crona was sexy yet in character in this. GASP, he took off his shirt, EYE CANDY FOR THE WIN! And he was jealous, OMG! Lol, sorry for trying to make him more of a man! 3**

**AND BLAIR IS BACK! YAY! What do you think she's up to, besides for torturing Raggy? XD**

**Anyway, hope you guys liked this, and I hope it seemed like every one was in character! :3 Please tell me if there was anything wrong! :)**

**Bye bye for now! XD**


	7. The Angel and her Black Blooded Champion

**The Angel and her Black Blooded Champion**

The smirking sun laughed wickedly in the early morning sky, washing its dull, warm waves of light onto the world beneath it. The light it gave bounced off the hull of the majestic Explorer of the Seas, seeming to mock the sun and the useless warmth it gave off. Sea birds screamed in the air as they darted and swerved away from the monstrous cruise ship, their spiteful mouths agape as they screamed their defiance. But the ship simply ignored them, ploughing on through the pacific ocean with almost regal grace.

Stirring in his sleep, Crona stretched beneath the covers, the warm light streaming through the open window of their suite, washing over him and warming his slender body. Not like he needed it, he was _so _warmalready…

Twisting beneath the glowing blanket, Crona felt something press down on his chest, something soft and warm wrapping itself around him and hugging his chest. But this barely registered to his sleep filled mind, and he snuggled closer to the warm presence, his face burying deep into something delightfully soft and comfortable.

He'd spent almost the entire night lying in wake, his mind and body not giving him the slightest moment of peace. He'd twisted, stirred and almost broken down into tears from the unfairness of it all, but eventually it had just been too much, and he'd drifted off into restless sleep.

Now, lying where he was, warmth and comfort washing over him and lulling his troubled mind, he couldn't find it in himself to remember what it had been that had kept him up so cruelly. Surely it had been _something_. Yes, he'd had sleeping problems before, but this…this was different.

But what was it?

Struggling to grasp just what had plagued him so, Crona nuzzled his spare pillow, letting out a low moan and wrapping his own arm around it, pulling it as close to him as physically possible.

And what was that gripping his chest? Surely it must be a blanket…yes that seemed logical, what else could it be?

Tightening his hold on his pillow, Crona prepared to drift back into sleep, but he let out a startled gasp as he felt his supposed blanket tighten around him, his pillow letting a soft, throaty moan beside him and beneath his lips. Crona's eyes flashed open faster than lightning, and he felt a scream claw at his throat, all the blood draining from his face.

Maka lay against and partially on top of him, her arms wrapped around him, her ankles locked with his own. Her face was buried in his chest, and her hair sprawled out across his shirt, curling and tumbling across him like a pale waterfall. Her lips were pursed in the cutest of pouts, and her eyes darted beneath her eyelids, the girl lost in dreams. One of Crona's own slender arms was wrapped around her in turn, his hand unconsciously drifting beneath the back of her shirt to rest on her warm, heated lower back, his fingers brushing over her luscious skin. He could see how his face had nuzzled into her hair moments before, her blond locks dishevelled and messy from his earlier activities.

Staring at her, Crona felt his cheeks turn fire truck red as Maka moaned against him, snuggling up to him, her breasts rubbing against him and her one leg moving up to hook around his knee, effectively trapping him. The swordsman's eyes bugged out of his skull, fire cursing through his veins, and, unable to stop himself, he let out a wild cry of alarm, turning over and moving in a desperate attempt to get away from his beloved.

Suddenly shocked from her sleep, Maka stirred into half wakefulness, her eyes heavy lidded. But she snapped into full attention when she saw a flash of pink before her eyes, and she unconsciously tightened her hold on whatever it was she was holding, her muscles moving into a dead lock.

Wrong move.

Crying out, the two Meisters fell off the side of the bed in a tangle of blankets and limbs, falling in a jumbled heap to the carpet below. Shrieking, the two wrestled under the covers, blinded and disorientated, becoming more and more caught up in one another as they struggled helplessly.

Letting out a gasp of relief Crona shrugged the blanket off of them, the golden material bunching up beside them in an unruly heap. Looking down, Crona opened his mouth to stream out his desperate apologies, but his words caught in his throat, his pupils shrinking and his jaw dropping.

Maka lay sprawled out beneath him, her white PJ top riding up to reveal her sleek, slender stomach and tiny red shorts. Her hair fanned out around her in total disarray, and her eyes stared up at him in shock, her cheeks red with her blush. He could feel her legs curled around his hips, pinning his lower body to hers, and he could feel her breath against his lips, their blushing faces mere inches apart.

"C-Crona?" Maka gasped, her lips parted. His name on her lips caused his heart to fall right through him to the floor below, and he felt his abdomen give a painful, torturous lurch, blood rushing to places he rather wished it wouldn't.

Unable to help himself, a low, groaning whimper escaped his lips, and he blushed outrageously, screwing his eyes shut.

Things just couldn't get any worse, could they?

It was all startlingly clear now. He and Maka had slept in the same bed last night. That's why he'd suffered so. Being as close to her as he had been, the tension had almost driven him mad. He'd been terrified of accidently touching her or moving too much, terrified of seeing her next to him, terrified of the warmth she gave off that seemed to sink into every fibre of his being and send his aching member to throbbing. Of it all, that had been the worst. Unable to relieve himself, Crona had been forced to hover right on the edge of the bed, pain and yearning cursing through his veins like venom, shattering his mind and almost forcing him to abandon his self-control completely. But fear and horror had kept him in line, and he'd simply lain there in the dark, eyes wide, body shaking uncontrollably as he felt Maka's warmth grow closer and closer to him, the young woman breathing into his ear as she slept peacefully throughout the night.

Why was fate so cruel to him? What had he done wrong this time? Surely _someone _would have mercy on him eventually…right?

"I-I'm sorry Maka! I d-didn't mean for this t-to happen! P-please don't be m-mad at me!" Crona finally pleaded, lifting himself off of her and shaking his head furiously. He tried to untangle himself from her limbs, but he failed miserably, letting out another wailed apology as he fell on top of her yet again, the young woman gasping as his weight fell upon her. Squirming, Maka arched her back off the floor in an attempt to untangle herself, only succeeding in pressing her breasts into Crona's chest and causing the poor swordsman to whimper pathetically.

"N-no! It's okay Crona, we were both shocked…ow, I think I hit my head…"

This got Crona's attention, and with suddenly fluid movements he moved away from Maka, untangling himself from her and allowing her to sit up with him. Tentatively he reached out to let his fingers hover before her forehead, his fingertips brushing over her skin.

"Y-you got hurt? Are you okay, Maka? D-did I hurt you?"

Smiling and shaking her head, Maka leaned her head forward, pressing her forehead into his palm and closing her eyes in content, "No, it wasn't you! If anything, I probably hit myself, what with my luck!"

Crona gave a little chuckle, watching as the young woman snuggled into his hand, his cheeks flushed. He allowed her to indulge herself, every once in a while stroking her skin, causing the blond Meister to smile all the wider.

But the moment didn't last very long, much to Crona's obvious chagrin. Before he could do so much as scream, he felt pain flower on his back, and soon after felt Ragnarok's hands grab hold of his ears, the little demon seething with rage.

"Crona! You _fucking _idiot! You just had to fall off that bed, didn't you! Can't you wake up like a damn normal person? No, I must be asking too much of you, you fucking dumbass!"

"I didn't mean it! O-Ow! Don't pull my ears like that, ow! Stop it!"

"Like hell I will! You just woke me up! I was sleeping all nice and snuggly like, and what happens? You decide to take it upon yourself to ruin my day! Well, I'm not having any of it! I'll beat you to a bloody pulp!"

Crona let out a shriek of agony, tears swimming in his eyes as the little demon tore away at his ears, shaking his Meister's head back and forth violently. The swordsman tried his best to fend off the attack, but to no avail. It was Maka who managed to save him in the end, the blond scowling and reaching out for her trusty novel.

Ragnarok never even saw the attack coming, too worked up in his own rage to see the book come flying down on his little head. With a crash the book hit his head hard, and Ragnarok let out a wail of agony before collapsing, black blood leaking from his mouth and nose, tears streaming down his ebony cheeks.

It took a moment for Crona to realize what had happened, the young man clinging to the blankets beside him, eyes wide. Finally, he looked up to see Maka standing over him, book battered from the impact and the blond Meister glaring at the unconscious weapon, thoroughly unimpressed, her jaw set and her eyes aflame.

"Th-thank you, Maka…" the swordsman offered, nervous of the still malicious glint in her eyes. It took a moment for her to register him, but when she did she laughed, giving him a smile that sent his legs to jelly.

"Don't thank me, silly! I was more than happy to help!" she sang, waving the book about for emphasis, smiling from ear to ear.

Funny enough, Crona couldn't find it in himself to doubt that statement even in the slightest bit.

Tossing the book aside and going for her bag, Maka began to gather her things for her bathroom trip, selecting a soft, daisy themed yellow sundress with matching shoes and hair bands, each garment adorned with an elegant white daisy. She gave the stunning dress an eager once over before tucking it under her arm, grabbing her other clothes. This time she remembered to gather her undergarments, and she threw Crona an apologetic glance as she opened his bag and snatched up a bra and matching pantie, blushing furiously.

Crona on the other hand was far less interested in her escapade than she was, and the swordsman had long since clambered back into bed, dragging the covers with him. He wasn't ready to deal with the world just yet, now that the exhaustion and effects of lack of sleep had finally hit home in his slender body. Curling up under the covers and letting out a tired groan, Crona closed his eyes, preparing to make a last ditch effort to gather more sleep.

Surely it wouldn't take him long to pass out again.

Noticing her companion's exhaustion, Maka stopped halfway on her way to the bathroom, stopping to stare at him with concerned eyes. She hadn't seen him like this in a while…was he sick? How could he have gotten sick? She felt perfectly fine, so shouldn't he? They hadn't come into contact with any sickly looking people, so he couldn't be sick…right?

Opening her mouth to speak, Maka was about to voice her concern when she was interrupted by loud, enthusiastic knocking at their suite door, the entire door rattling from the force of each knock. Both Meisters visibly jumped at the rude interruption, Crona even going so far as to let out a cry of shock, stunned from the doze he had just drifted into.

Sighing, Maka went over to the door, unlocking it. She barely had time to get the door open before she was bodily pushed back, the door bursting out at her and hitting the wall with a bang as the intruder charged into their room, tackling Maka with a cry of delight.

Head spinning, Maka let out a wail of confusion, trying to free herself from whoever was strangling her. Pushing with all her strength, the Meister managed to free herself, stumbling from her attackers arms and almost falling hard on her rear, trying to balance and keep her clothes from falling from her arms at the same time.

Once she'd regained her balance Maka let out a growl, looking up at her attacker for the first time. But as she looked she felt her growl die on her lips, her eyes going wide.

"V-Victoria!"

The bubbly woman stood before her in the shortest, most revealing dress she had ever seen, the pink material hugging her every curve. Perhaps it was stretching it to call the thing a dress, it looked more like a velvet bath towel that had just been wrapped around her and pinned in place with one or two Barbie pins. A large sun hat was perched atop her ebony head, and she stood tall in a pair of matching platform high heels, one foot raised daintily in the air.

But despite her outfit, or perhaps lack thereof, she still looked radiantly beautiful.

"Good morning Maka! I just came by to see if you guys wanted to join me for breakfast! I'm sorry if I startled you!" Victoria hurriedly apologised, visibly shrinking and drooping with shame. Maka's eyes went wide at that, and she waved her hands in the air, smiling sheepishly.

"N-no! Don't be sorry! We should have been up ages ago! It's my fault!"

Victoria perked up at that, and she took a look around the room, gold eyes alight. Her eyes fell on the messy double bed, and her eyes widened as she saw Crona peeking out from under the covers, eyes tired and heavy as he gave her the best glare he could muster. The effect wasn't really working in his favour though, the bed hair and bags under his eyes ruining a look that would have otherwise sent her blood cold.

Oblivious of the obvious glare he was throwing her, Victoria waved eagerly to him, smiling, "Good morning Crona! How did you sleep last night?"

Crona stared at her for a moment longer before letting out a low, incoherent groan, rudely turning over and presenting his back to her.

Giggling, Victoria gave Maka a sly, wicked grin, eyes devious, "My, you certainly kept _him _busy last night, didn't you? The poor man seems practically _exhausted_!"

It didn't take a rocket scientist to get what the older woman was implying, and Maka went several different shades of red. She took a startled step back, eyes wide, and she spluttered hopelessly, beyond mortified.

Crona, on the other hand, gave a more violent reaction. Letting out a cry of alarm, he made a frantic attempt to hide his shameful blush that had begun to paint his features, moving so violently that he once again toppled off the side of the bed, the swordsman screaming as he hit the carpet with a solid sounding thud.

Ragnarok, having regained consciousness some time before, was beyond enraged at having hit the floor a second time that day. Bursting from his Meister's back and scrambling up the side of the bed, he poked his head over the rim, his little head just barely visible over the top of the golden sheets. One arm planted on the edge of the bed to keep his balance, the weapon proceeded to wave another angry fist at the beaming woman while shrieking and roaring at her, his words made incoherent by his uncontrollable anger, a black vein pulsing angrily on his forehead.

Maka ignored the enraged demon, waving her hands and closing her eyes sheepishly to the horrendously misguided woman, "N-no! It's n-nothing like that! We would n-never…um…well, do something like that, would we Crona?"

Barely conscious, Crona let out a noise of agreement, voice muffled by the carpet. Ragnarok on the other hand seemed to think otherwise, and he crossed his arms stubbornly, turning his head away and letting out a scoff.

Still beaming, Victoria waved a nonchalant hand, "Sure thing, _whatever you two say!_"

Maka began to fume, seriously put off, "Don't be like that Vicky!"

Victoria shrugged, waving a hand to her, "Don't stress, I know what you mean! Now you two go get dressed! I'll wait outside here for you! Don't be long, okay?"

With that said, the woman winked and twirled on her heel, leaving with a bubbly air about her, closing the door noisily behind herself. Maka watched her leave with wide, astonished eyes, while Ragnarok glared after her, eyes narrowed.

"Who said we even want to fucking go with you, cow?" he cried when she had left, slamming an angry fist down on the bed. But the force of it sent him staggering, and he swore violently as he tumbled backwards, arms pin wheeling in the air as he tried to keep his balance. But to no avail, and he fell to his Meister's back with the thud, both their heads colliding painfully, much to Crona's exasperation.

Watching on with obvious chagrin, Maka couldn't help but feel a sense of dread, those mischievous golden eyes burned into the front of her mind. Looking between the door and her two bickering companions, Maka let out a sigh, shaking her head.

Just _what _had she gotten herself into…? And whatever it was…she had a feeling she was bound to regret it.

* * *

They met up with Victoria and went through the norm of eating breakfast, sitting at the same table they had the previous night. But naturally, wherever Ragnarok was concerned, nothing was ever _normal_. For instance, Crona suffered a near death experience while gathering their breakfast. Ragnarok, demanding him to dish up bacon, had pushed his Meister and almost sent the poor man head first into the nearest frying pan, the young man getting so close he'd felt the heat singe his eyebrows.

Needless to say, Maka had been thoroughly displeased, and it had taken Crona's best efforts to stop the girl from snatching up said frying pan and using it as a baseball bat to send his weapon's little head flying. And even then he had failed, the blond instead using her fearsome novel instead.

He'd tried to tell Ragnarok that things could have been worse, but nothing was going to sooth the agonized, beyond hysterical demon. One would say he deserved it, but Crona couldn't find it in himself to feel contempt for his tiny, brutish yet childish partner.

But things had certainly taken a turn for the worse near the end, and Crona had wished more than anything that he could have just died on the trip there in some horrendous accident.

Drowning in the Pacific Ocean sounded like a _much _better fate than what was about to happen to him.

And needless to say, it was Victoria who had put this fate upon him. It had reached a point where Crona was beginning to wonder if the older woman _liked _watching him suffer.

At that moment, the two Meisters returned to their suite, Maka bursting through the door like a bat straight from hell. Bouncing and giggling with eagerness Maka made a beeline for her suitcase, tossing it open and digging mercilessly through her bag.

Crona, on the other hand, was not as eager as she was, and he stood in the corner, shaking uncontrollably.

"M-Maka…I d-don't know if I can do this… d-do we have to? You know I c-can't-,"

"Don't be silly, Crona!" Maka interrupted him, before letting out a cry of delight, tugging out a small, black bikini with silver loops, smiling from ear to ear as she pulled out the elegant garment, "This is a cruise! We're _supposed _to swim! We get to swim and relax in the sun all day! Doesn't that sound fun?"

Crona shook his head, watching with wide, panicked eyes as she held up the tiny, barely there bikini, grey eyes glued to the tiny piece of material as if it were some unidentified, potentially bio hazardous alien material. Was she going to wear _that_? She might as well go naked! That thing certainly wasn't going to make much of a difference to her.

Wait, no, had he seriously just thought that? Blushing furiously Crona looked away, ashamed. Shuffling on the spot he stared hard at the carpet at his feet, not willing to look at her.

"B-but I d-d-don't know how to deal with s-something like that! S-swimming? N-no! I can't do it, not yet! I'm n-not ready for that!"

Maka cast him a glance, already making her way to the bathroom. She stopped as she went past him, and she raised a hand to touch his cheek gently, giving him her most sincere, kindly smile. The fearful male looked her up and down before looking into her eyes, seeming for all the world like a wild, severely spooked stallion.

"You'll be fine! I know you will! We're in this together, remember?" she soothed, hand still at his cheek. Crona stared at her dumbfounded for a moment before nodding slowly, biting his lower lip and looking away anxiously.

Smiling, Maka brushed her thumb below his eye before making her way to the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, "Thank you, Crona! Now be sure to get dressed! We need to get an empty spot on deck, so we don't have much time!"

She heard him make a noise of understanding, the lanky Meister already on his way to his suitcase. Confident in his abilities at finding his own clothing Maka closed the door behind her with a little laugh, locking the door and beginning to take her clothes off.

Dressing hurriedly, Maka pulled on the bikini, straightening the straps and making sure it was on properly and that her skin was properly covered, before pulling on her dress once more, the stunning yellow dress flowing over her curves easily. She looked at herself in the mirror for a moment longer, assessing herself and giving herself the customary once over before going for the door, gathering her underwear as she went.

Opening the door, Maka burst out into the main part of their suite, arms in the air extravagantly. She opened her mouth to voice her arrival, but the young woman stopped short, freezing in her tracks.

And, as she stood there, she felt her jaw drop straight to the floor and her eyes bulge in their sockets, sweat beginning to bead on the side of her face.

_Oh…my…_god…

Crona stood not too far from her, his naked back to her as he just finished pulling up his new, midnight black swim trunks, the garment coming down to just above his knees. It hung off his slender hips, and it had an intricate white and blue design on the sides, swirling and curving like vines as they reached up towards his pale, curvy and seductive hips.

Unable to help herself, a crimson blush painting her features, Maka allowed her eyes to roam up and down his back, staring with undisguised amazement at the way his barely there muscles formed themselves on his shoulder blades, an obvious indication of his sword training over the years. His skin was almost ghostly white, and she realised with a start that this was the most skin she had ever seen on him, the swordsman usually always covered from head to toe in his dress and boots. Seeing him now, wearing only his swimming trunks, it was enough to send her pulse sky rocketing.

Why, though? Oh yes, that's right…she found him _attractive_…

Blushing, Maka tried her best to voice her arrival, but nothing came from her mouth, the young woman opening and closing her mouth like a fish for over a minute. Finally she gave up and simply stared, her eyes roaming up and down his body, taking in his curvy hips and ass, her eyes stopping at his rear and lower back for longer than what was probably healthy.

And as she stared, she saw Crona turn his head to look at her, the young man seeming to move in slow motion to her wide, astonished eyes. She felt her heart stop in her chest as he looked over his shoulder at her, grey eyes heavy lidded and his lips pursed in an obviously discontented pout.

But it wasn't going to last long.

Letting out a shriek of horror, Crona stumbled and fell back, mortified. Blushing furiously, he sat down hard on their bed, gripping his right arm for dear life, hunching over in an attempt to hide his naked upper body from her.

"M-Maka! What are you d-doing? H-how long have y-y-you been standing there? I'm n-not w-wearing a…Oh no, _I d-don't know how to deal with this_!"

Maka blushed all the more, waving her arms frantically, "Not long, not long! It's okay; I n-never saw anything! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I should have knocked! Please don't be upset!"

Crona gaped at her, seemingly on the verge of an all-out heart attack. He felt _horrendously _exposed and naked; it was just too much to bear. He'd never worn anything like this before, he felt like he was walking around in his underwear. But then again, isn't that what he was doing? Walking around in _underwear_?

Crona had never been near a pool in his life, let alone swam in one or worn a swimming costume. Needless to say his mother would have sooner drowned him herself than taught him how to swim, so asking her had been out of the question. And there had always been the possibility of Ragnarok drowning him instead, so that had been just another excuse to keep himself out of the water.

To say he was reluctant to try out the pool today would have been a disgusting, even laughable understatement.

Still blushing, Maka gave him a gentle smile, trying her best to sooth both their raging nerves, "It's okay, you don't have to be afraid…you look fine. And guys…well…they go around shirtless all the time. You haven't got anything I haven't seen already!"

This caused Crona to blush all the more, but he visibly relaxed, looking down at his slender yet well-formed pale body, "R-really? You m-mean that?"

Maka nodded, smiling brightly, causing the male to relax and uncurl himself, much to her relief. But as she walked over to get her towel from her bag, she couldn't help but look away from him, biting her lower lip.

She'd been lying. He didn't look fine at all.

He looked _gorgeous_…

Snatching up her towel, Maka watched out of the corner of her eye as Crona followed her, walking freely now, although he still blushed furiously, one arm held across his chest. She watched as he walked by her, her green eyes alight, roaming over his body eagerly.

But she stopped, her eyes finally going wide as she spotted something her hormone dazed mind had not seen before. And staring at it, she felt her blood run cold.

A long, dead straight ebony scar, cutting across his stomach harshly, standing out against his pale skin. It marred his perfect skin and seemed to radiate pain and heart ache, and it sent tears to her eyes looking at it. She knew there would be a matching scar on his back, a painful reminder of just how far Crona would go to protect the ones he loved.

How far he would go to protect _her_.

Pulling herself up straight, Maka stared at his scar silently, her expression pained. She felt her heart twist and burn in her chest as harsh, painful memories flashed before her eyes, breaking her from the inside out as she recalled just how he had gotten that dreadful cut, just how he had seemingly died to save her life, throwing his own away. She felt that same helplessness, that same broken sorrow she'd felt all that time ago, holding him in her arms as he'd bleed out his inky black blood to the cold floor beneath them, his eyes gentle as he reached up in a hopeless attempt to touch her cheek. He'd failed, but she'd grabbed his hand in hers all the same, pleading with him and telling him he'd be alright. But her pleads had fallen on deaf ears, and Crona had seemingly died in her arms, shattering her heart into a million tiny pieces and sending her mind into the most violent, rage filled insanity that had ever fallen upon her.

And she'd been ready to kill, ready to kill every single last person in that building, no matter who they were. She had wanted to spill blood, to spill so much blood that it would have made up for the blood her beloved companion and black blooded champion had lost for her, had spilled because of her foolishness. She'd wanted to paint the walls red, to flood the room so it would wash all that black away, so it would wash all that _horrible_ _black _away. It had driven her mad, that black blood. It had lain there on that icy floor, but not only that, it had rushed through her veins, filling her with enraged madness, pushing her to her limit and causing her to almost take the lives of the two people they had all come to save.

Losing him…had just been too much to bear. And she had crumbled under the weight of it.

Moving forward, her movements slow, Maka came to stand behind him, eyes fixed on the scar at his back. Crona made a sound of confusion before letting out a squeak of horror, feeling her warm arms wrap around him, the woman pressing herself up against him. He straightened hurriedly, having been bent over his suitcase, and he looked back at her anxiously, feeling as the young woman nuzzled her cheek against his back.

"M-Maka? Are you o-okay?"

Maka let out a pathetic sound of reassurance, nodding her head. Hugging him now, she realized just how much taller he was than her, her cheek resting against the curve of his spine just before his neck, he soft hair brushing across her face. His bare skin felt so soft and warm, so intimate and gentle against her own, it soothed her instantly. And she could smell him too, that scent he had that she loved so much. It washed over her and made her feel warm and safe, and she felt the sudden urge to be as close to him as possible, so close she could almost climb inside him, like he was her own personal safe haven.

Moving her hands down his chest, she stopped as she felt her fingers touch his scar, her fingertips brushing over them. The Meister felt tears burn in her eyes, and she nuzzled closer to him, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I…saw it…and I just…you know…needed to know you're still here…"

Crona tilted his head back, trying to get a look at her. He felt her fingers brush across his stomach, and he blushed, biting his lower lip.

But he understood what she meant, and it caused his heart to burn in his chest. He knew she still felt pain and self-loathing over what had happened. He wished he could tell her everything, wished he could tell her it hadn't been her fault. The only thing she could blame herself for was causing him to fall so badly for her. That was her only crime. And even then, he couldn't blame her for that. It was just the person she was. He had been destined to fall in love with her the moment he saw her, of that much he was sure. And he didn't care how childish or impractical that sounded, he knew it was the truth.

Letting his hands drift down, he took her smaller ones in his, pressing them closer to him in his own form of embrace, his fingers brushing over the skin of her hands. Maka let out a low, whimpering sigh in reply, and he smiled gently, blushing modestly.

"I'll always b-be here, Maka, n-no matter what…you know that, d-don't you? I…I won't let anyone take you away from me…"

Silence filled the air between them, Maka taking a moment to absorb all that he had said. Unable to help herself tears began to leak from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks to his pale back, the fiery gems leaving wet trails on his skin. Crona could feel them the moment they grazed his back, and he squeezed her hands tentatively, pleading to her to feel better and to smile for him.

_Smile for me…please?_

After a moment longer, he felt Maka give him a tight, affectionate squeeze, the young woman letting out a laughing hiccup. She moved away from him hurriedly soon after, one hand pawing at her eyes to wipe away the tears, her cheeks rosy from a combination of her tears and her embarrassment.

"I know, I know. Now…let's go swimming!" she added hurriedly once she had composed herself, flashing him a wide, eager smile, her eyes still red rimmed from her tears. Crona felt his spirits plummet for a mere second before rising again, the swordsman pushing aside his fear and allowing a smile to grace his lips, causing his beloved to smile all the wider.

He could deal with this. He could deal with anything at all…

If it meant he could see her smile.

* * *

To say Spirit was depressed would have been the cruellest, most barbaric of understatements. In fact, there probably wasn't a single word known to man that could even come close to _slightly _describing how he felt right now.

But if he had to sum it up, he'd say he was near on suicidal.

Dragging himself into his hotel suite, eyes and limbs heavy and drooping from a combination of alcohol, lack of sleep and sorrowful self-pity, Spirit collapsed bodily onto his single bed, burying his face into his pillow. He never even bothered to close the door behind him, leaving it wide open to the unfortunate passengers who walked past. But he couldn't care less if they saw his agony. They could think whatever they liked, none of it mattered anyway.

It wasn't long before the tears started to flow, and the Death Scythe threw his head back, crying out to the ceiling.

"Maka! I'm so sorry! Please forgive your Papa, please!"

He waited with baited breath, praying for a happy, cheerful reply, but when none came he collapsed once again to the duvet, fresh anguish fuelling his storm of weeping.

This was all his fault, and he knew it. He'd long time gotten past the point of denial. How could he even try to deny it? It was so painfully obvious; he'd have to be mad and blind not to see it. And this only made things so much worse for the poor man. He had dug his own grave, and now that his life was over, he might as well throw himself into it too.

He'd had the best intentions, really he had. But looking back on it now, he realized just how selfish he had been. But then again, how was he supposed to know she would bring that…_monster _with her. He had no idea she would go to such lengths. His darling little Maka, his sweet, adorable angel, had brought along a _boy_. A god forsaken boy! And not just any boy. Oh no, one could not be so gentle when describing that thing. He was an insane, homicidal, pathetic, predatory _demon_.

Oh yes, Spirit could see it. No one else could see it, but _he _could. Those dark eyes, almost as black as his blood, seemingly so innocent. But he could see the lust in them, see that predatory eagerness and that hunger for his sweet, innocent daughter. Behind that gentle, shy and fearful façade was something far more evil and terrifying than anything Spirit had ever, and would ever, face in his entire life, and it sent his blood icy cold just thinking about it.

_A teenage boy!_

Lost in his own delusions, Spirit let out a howl of rage and horror, springing to his feet and pacing this way and that, his mind on the verge of meltdown. His fatherly instincts screamed at him to grab his daughter from the clutches of that lusty demon and run, to hide her in his loving, protective embrace and defend her from the touching, feeling hands of that hungry male. But he couldn't. No matter how much he longed to free her, he knew she would hate him all the more if he tried. She was enraged enough as it was, and he could remember every painful detail of her threat to him, every syllable burning into his feverish thoughts.

_You try doing that to him again, and I will do far worse to you, you hear me!_

That swordsman had her wrapped around his finger, and it was driving him to the edge of total and utter despair. She would protect him and stand up for him no matter what the case may be, all the while totally unaware that the very person she was striving to protect was going to be her undoing.

It was enough to drive him _crazy_.

Spinning on the spot, Spirit was about to grab his pillow and throttle it, when he was suddenly rudely interrupted by an eerie chiming, the sound ringing out through his room. Freezing in his tracks, Spirit turned towards the source of the sound, his red rimmed, teary eyes going as wide as saucers as he watched the tell-tale blue ripples drift across his dresser mirror, his own reflection staring back at him stupidly.

Stumbling over his feet in a mad dash to get to the mirror before the all too important call ended, Spirit let out a cry of exasperation, reaching out as he stumbled forwards. With a cry of triumph he slammed his hand against the mirror eagerly, almost smashing it completely before falling flat on his face, his head hitting the polished oak vanity table with a violent crash. Blood oozing from his nose and his forehead throbbing, he lay there twitching spasmodically, the man seeming to drift into a semi coma.

Above him the mirror flashed a blazing white, before fading away to reveal the image of Lord Death's sanctuary, the familiar crosses standing out on the horizon with the fog-like clouds drifting across the sandy wasteland. The divine entity of Death incarnate peered into the room, looking this way and that, already waving ecstatically while his masked face remained characteristically blank.

"Ah, Spirit! You answered my call this time! How ar- Spirit? Spirit where are you old boy? Where'd you run off to this time? Oh my…"

The comical figure looking this way and that, leaning right up close to the mirror in an attempt to find his weapon, sweat beading on the side of his mask. He even went so far as to lean through the mirror, the flimsy, clear matter that made up the mirror stretching out as the Lord of Death defied the laws of time and space to cross into Spirits bedroom. Looking down, the spirit let out a low cry of delight, spotting his drooling Scythe on the table below him.

"Oh, _there_ you are! Now stop messing around Spirit! I'm not in the mood to play hide-and-seek today! But how about next time, okay?"

The scythe let out a groan of recognition, peeling himself off the table with obvious reluctance. Lord Death gave him a look of utter scepticism as he leaned back into his own room, the mirror on Spirits side slapping back into place.

"So, how has your vacation been? You have fun dancing under the sun and partying all night? Wait until you get there, and then the _real _fun is going to start! Can't you just _smell _the coconuts and wild flowers and hula girls?" Death sang enthusiastically, wiggling his arms from side to side and shaking what was meant to be his hips, his masked face layered with obvious enthusiasm as he faced his blank faced, depressive companion.

"Um…Lord Death, we're going to the Caribbean, not Hawaii…" Spirit pointed out, obviously unimpressed. Death stopped his little hula dance to stare at his weapon in stunned, awkward silence for a moment before sweat dropping, snapping back into his usual position and placing one massive hand behind his head.

"Oh yes, so sorry about that! It must have slipped my mind!" he apologized, waving his hands in front of him. Spirit tilted his head to one side, looking away from the supposedly divine entity before him.

"Yeah, I kind of gathered…"

Death stopped waving to give his weapon a long suffering look, slumping on the spot before leaning in anxiously, obviously concerned, "Why, what's the matter Spirit? You're on holiday, and you look like someone just passed away! Why so glum, old boy?"

Spirit winced, his bottom lip giving a shiver, "I-it's nothing, my Lord…I can take it! Don't you worry about it!"

Death didn't look the slightest bit convinced, but he nodded all the same, "I see…well, there's someone else here who would like to speak to you! Perhaps he can cheer you up! I'll just hop on back home to give you two some privacy!"

Bouncing away from the mirror, Lord Death motioned to the before unseen companion in the room, indicating for him to pick up from where he's left off. But instead of going home as he said he would, Death snuck around to the side of the mirror, leaning close so he could listen in on their conversation without being spotted by Spirit.

Spirit stared at the scene before him with an obvious lack of enthusiasm, the red head staring with dull, heavy lidded eyes. But as a familiar figure stepped into view, the Scythes face lit up instantly.

"Stein!" he cried, grabbing hold of the mirror in both hands and rushing forward, throwing himself bodily through the mirror, far less graceful then Death had been earlier when he himself had done the same feat. Completely unimpressed the pale, stitch covered and grey haired mad scientist, dressed in his customary lab coat and trousers, held out a hand to stop the wild advance of his onetime weapon partner and best friend, his cigarette hanging limply from his mouth, holding the man at bay with one nonchalant hand while he struggled.

"Hello Spirit. I would love to chat, really I would, but I think I'll start when you stop acting like a wild animal…"

Spirit gave his friend a glare, before retreating back into his own room, the mirror slapping his nose with a vengeful crack as it jumped back into place. The Scythe danced around for a moment, tearing at the eyes and holding his nose childishly before composing himself, straightening and looking his companion dead in the eye, his expression serious.

"Right then, thank you for composing yourself…now what was all that about? Lord Death was making it out as if you needed psychiatric help. And looking at you now, I think he's got a point. What the hell is wrong with you, Spirit? You look like a hopeless mutt."

Spirit didn't even bother denying the doctors blatant statement. Instead he slumped, sinking in defeat, "I know, don't rub it in…"

Stein gave a huff, still unimpressed, "And what exactly are you doing on a five star cruise liner anyway? I don't care if you're enjoying yourself or not. You just packed up and left, whisking my star pupils along with you. I know I signed the forms to give them permission to leave, but you never bothered to bring it to me yourself. Instead I get a nice, cheerful note from our dear Overlord."

With that said, he threw a side long glare at his eavesdropping master, earning an apologetic shrug and a wave of a white hand from the god in question, the skull faced divinity leaning close to hear his weapons reply.

Spirit let out an indignant sound, waving his arms this way and that, "Well that's not _my _fault! Lord Death booked the whole thing within the day, and he told me to leave everything to him! He's said it was about time we took a break, and well, shame on me then for thinking the same thing! I deserve some T.L.C too you know! It's him you can complain to, not me!"

To say Lord Death was not impressed would be an understatement, the god drumming his fingers on the side of the mirror while he threw a narrow eyed, vicious glare at his weapon partner. He decided they were going to have a nice, long discussion about loyalty and respect when his weapon got home, a discussion that would involve more than a few nice big Reaper Chops.

"Oh really? Well, with that aside, you haven't answered my question Spirit…what's got you so depressed?" Stein asked his voice dull and seemingly uninterested as he took a long, deep drag at his cigarette, puffing out a trail of smoke that morphed and twirled into that familiar skull shape. But Spirit could see the burning curiosity and worry in his friends green eyes, the doctor keeping his emotions hidden from the world.

Taking a deep breath, Spirit leaned in closer to the mirror, beckoning for his friend to do the same. One eyebrow raised sceptically, Stein leaned in closer, his eavesdropping master doing the same thing beside the mirror, both Meisters eager to hear Spirit's hushed up answer.

"Stein…I think it's about time we had a talk about this adopted son of yours…"

* * *

**Lol, OMG, WHAT A CLIFFHANGER! Gods I just love it! *throws herself off of it, laughing like a maniac* Ain't I just the most evil little thing?**

**Hehehe, this feels like a soap opera mixed with Star Wars! "Crona, I am you FATHER!" LOL!**

**Anyway, sorry for the late update folks! Exams are coming up, and I've been doing my art practical exam since term began, so it's pretty hard going! Damn High School is a bitch! X_X**

**Well, I hope you liked this chapter! And already, Maka is starting to develop feelings she never thought could be possible! (by the way, she doesn't love him YET, that is why when she doesn't feel as much longing and lust as Crona does! Even though he was shirtless, which is pretty damn smexy! *hurrhurr***

**Oh...and I'll have all you thieves out there know, that this story is MINE! *rage* I'm sure some of you know that my CroMa Chains That bind Us story was recently stolen, and to say it enraged me to murderous heights would be a pathetic understatement. But it upset me more than angered me, and I won't be lying if I said I shed tears the day I found out about it. That thief should be ashamed of himself! I wrote this story and Chains That Bind Us not just for myself, but for all you CroMa fans and readers out there. I took it upon myself to write a story like this when no one else would, and what happens? It gets STOLEN, and it wasn't even done professionally either. D:**

**So all you fucking thieves and trolls out there, STAY AWAY FROM MY STORIES! I know you're out there, and if I see any of my fanfic out there under different names or that seem even REMOTELY similar to mine, I will hunt you down, and I'll make you regret ever having laid eyes on even the opening synopsis to my works. This is MINE! I slaved over it for hours, I shed tears, sweat and blood for this story, and you have NO RIGHT to steal it from me! My fanfictions are like babies. I put my life into them, and like any protective mother, I won't hesitate to get nasty when you threaten what's MINE!**

***calms down* Sorry guys, I just had to put that out there. I won't tolerate this at all, and I want potential thieves to know what they are up against. *death glares***

**Aaaaaaanyway, I'll try to update soon! :3 Hope you liked this chapter, and I hope everyone was in character! :D**

**Ps: GO READ Sangreal of Souls by Manga Zeal! 8D It is AWESOME! It was written by my bestest Manga buddy, and I would appreciate it if you all read it! :)**


	8. Innocent Temptations

**Innocent Temptations**

A heavy, smothering silence fell over the Death Room, turning the air icy and making the other worldly place seem far more menacing and eerie than it actually was. Everything was motionless and silent, the only movement coming from the fog as it moved sluggishly across the desert, pushed amongst the crosses by a non-existent breeze.

The Death Room's only occupants stared at each other in stunned silence, their eyes wide as they just gawked at each other and the mirror before them. Even the overlord of this world, Death himself, could only stare at his underling, his blank face looking expectantly towards the homicidal doctor.

It was at moments like these that Stein wondered if sanity was far more painful to bear than madness. At that moment, sanity was the only thing stopping him from lashing out and ripping his weapon partner to pieces, and he rather wished it wouldn't.

Trust Spirit to ruin a perfectly normal day with one of his stupid, rash comments.

Stein sighed, watching as his master cocked his head at him, the swirling black entity beckoning for him to speak, obviously eager to hear more as he bounced up and down on the spot. It was almost laughable, imagining that such an entity could be capable of such childish anticipation and excitement. Not only that, but it was almost a let-down, like the world's biggest sadistic joke, the ultimate anti-climax.

The people thought they were being ruled over by a serene, patient and ultimately divine godly figure. While in reality, they were simply being watched over by a carefree, childish baby sitter who struggled to take anything seriously whatsoever. Such a realization would be devastating for humanity, and Stein often wondered if Death's confinement to Death City was more of a blessing than a curse.

Not like he'd ever tell him that…

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his overlord, Stein turned back to his annoying weapon partner, watching as Spirit gave a slight jump, always nervous of his fearsome partner. Who could blame him? When you as well as everyone else were labelled as dissection projects, it was pretty hard to find it in yourself to smile in the face of such a man.

"I think you may have the wrong idea, Spirit…" Stein muttered, reaching up to turn the screw in his head with an eerie click, chewing on his cigarette as he talked, "But then again, I shouldn't be surprised. You never think before you speak…or before you do anything, for that matter."

Spirit made a sound of indignation; blue eyes alight with anger, "Not true! Believe it or not, I think a great deal before I do stuff!"

"Oh, that is really, really sad…" Stein muttered, shaking his head, which only caused his weapon to shriek all the louder, the red head shaking his fists at the bored looking doctor.

"Damn you Stein! And besides, you're talking crap! Don't lie to me, you told me you and Marie were going to adopt that thing! Stop messing around with me, I'm not in the mood!" he snapped, jabbing a finger at Stein through the glass, almost snapping his finger back as the glass shot back into place, causing him to squeak in fright.

Stein glared at him with a deadpan stare, his green eyes full of seething, barely controlled anger, rage curling around his heart like a vice, "Do you think I mean otherwise? I wasn't lying to you Spirit. We _are _planning on adopting the boy, not that _thing_, as you so blatantly called him. I suggest you watch your tongue, or do you want me to cut it out so you can watch it better? You can have it next to your bed at night."

Spirit jumped, going pasty white. A shudder wracked through his body, and he looked away, shuffling anxiously as he scratched the back of his head, "Oh…Y-yeah, s-sorry…"

The professor nodded, his jaw set, "Good, I'm glad we understand each other. My heart is literally bursting with delight at your competence, Spirit."

Spirit gave a small, timid nod, before trying his best to change the subject, knowing he was treading on very thin ice, "S-so…when do you plan on adopting him? You do realize he's seventeen, right? And he has no papers; he doesn't even exist when it comes to legal terms. I doubt you can get him registered under your name with just his library card…"

Stein nodded, taking a long drag at his cigarette to sooth his angered mind, "Yes, I do know that. We are planning to take him in after we get married. Marie insisted we do it that way, and I'm not going to argue with her. And besides, I'm sure we can organise something, what with our very understanding overlord watching over the whole procedure…"

At that, he looked to Lord Death, one eyebrow raised slightly. He watched as the shadow gave him a cheery wave, sweat beading on his mask. It was all he could muster at the moment, and it was good enough for the doctor.

Spirit gave a chuckle, leaning against the dresser, "I'm still stunned, really. You, married? That's the last thing I expected. I'm _so_ proud of you!"

Stein gave him another glare, his cigarette hanging lazily from his mouth, "It wasn't my idea, Spirit. Marie wanted it this way. I'm doing it to make her happy. Don't joke around."

Spirit waved his hands, his face the shining beacon of innocence, "Me, joking around? Never! What type of man do you take me for? I'm hurt Stein, just crushed!"

Stein struggled to resist the urge to just end the call then and there, his patience wearing thin, "I'll take your word for it. One question though. Would you care to humour me?"

The Death Scythe nodded, one eyebrow raised quizzically, "Sure, go ahead."

Stein gave the screw in his head another twist, his expression turning serious yet again, causing both the eavesdropper and the weapon to lean in closer, anxious to hear what was said, the tension evident in the air. But the Meister took no notice of it, and if he did he didn't seem to care, taking his time and blowing out a long, wispy puff of smoke.

"You said we had to have a talk about Crona. Why? Is something wrong? Is it something I should be concerned about?"

Spirit stared at him stupidly for a moment, completely lost, his blue eyes blank and uncomprehending. Stein waited patiently, and finally he was rewarded with a dull flicker of understanding in his weapons eyes, all the blood draining from Spirit's cheeks.

The change was instantaneous, and, as Stein noted, rather spectacular.

Letting out a howl, Spirit threw himself down on the dresser table, tears welling in his eyes, "Yes, yes I need to talk to you! Stein, it's dreadful, just dreadful I tell you!"

Stein cocked his head to one side, his eyes widening ever so slightly, "Oh?"

Spirit sniffled, letting out a whimpered affirmative, before looking back up, tears swimming in his eyes, "Stein, I've made a terrible mistake! My poor little Maka, my precious, innocent baby girl! She's…she's…!"

It took a while for him to choke it out, the weapon choking and hacking on his own tears. Stein wondered if perhaps he should hit the man, but before he could even so much as raise a hand from his pocket Spirit let out a shriek, shouting into Steins face, flecking spittle across his mirror.

"I've made her have to sleep in the same bed as that _boy_! She's defenceless! And you know what boys are like, Stein! That demon swordsman won't be able to keep his hands off of her! I know it! He's probably taken her already! My poor baby girl, soiled at such a precious age! I can't stand it! I need to keep her safe, I just have to! But she won't hear any of it! She hates me, she shouted and raged at me! She threw water on me, Stein, _water!_ She won't let me save her from that man, and it's tearing me up!"

He stopped talking, sucking in a deep breath of air after his hurried torrent, his eyes bulging, tears streaming down his cheeks as his whole body shook. Stein simply stared at him, his cigarette perilously close to slipping from his lips.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Stein spoke to the panicked red-head, trying his best not to set him off again, "Spirit…you do realize this is Crona you're terrified of, right?"

Spirit nodded, sniffling pathetically, "I know, you wouldn't expect it, you're one of those non-believers! But I can see it, Stein! I see the burn in his eyes, the way they burn for my little Maka! I see those hands of his, touching her in the dark, and she's too good, too precious to make him stop! I can hear those thoughts of his; hear what he wants to do to her! He's a demon Stein, a predator! He knows no better!"

Stein stared at him, dumb founded. He didn't know if what he was seeing was meant to be pathetic, or hilariously funny. But then again, it was very much a combination of the two. Spirit was being driven mad by his own fatherly instincts, instantly comparing Crona to himself; an overly sexual male. And this idea in itself was so far off the mark and disillusioned that Stein couldn't even bring himself to be angry that his friend was going so far as to call his son such things.

A predator? A demon? Crona? Gods, it was almost laughable.

But that was another thing. Stein was aware of his son's feelings for his companion. He had known for some time. Marie had told him about it one time late at night, on one of those evenings when she had sat dreamily thinking about the boy, her motherly instincts longing to claim that boy that had once betrayed her for his real, heartless mother.

_He's in love Stein! Can you believe it? It's so precious! He loves his Maka; I can see it, even if he hadn't told me! The poor dear! Do you think Maka notices? I'm not so sure she does, but they do look adorable together! Don't you find it beautiful? Such a pure love, from someone like him; she saved his life, and for that, he's dedicated his entire world to her…_

At the time he'd merely shrugged it off, taking it into account and storing it away. Yes, he had always been aware of Crona's strong feelings for the Meister, it was obvious to his methodical, all seeing eyes. He didn't need Marie to tell him that. But thinking about it now, he realized how truly devastating this must be for the boy. And not only that, but he'd have Spirit on his case for this, the enraged scythe breathing down his neck every second of this supposed get away.

And he couldn't see his future son doing anything Spirit was accusing him of. It was even insulting; to think that such an innocent, timid child could be capable of doing such things to the one he cherished above all others. Was Spirit in his right mind?

Looking at him again, Stein got his answer, watching as Spirit began biting his nails, his eyes shifting this way and that. It would be impossible to reach sense with him, that much was obvious. But still…

He could try his best to make life far easier for the Demon Swordsman, even if it seemed like he was fighting a losing battle.

"So what are you going to do about it? You don't have many options open. Hurt the boy, and you'll not only have to deal with an angry daughter, but you might just lose both your hands," Stein said coolly, taking a long drag of his cigarette while Spirit shook and stared at him, his eyes twitching, "And you can't just find them. You're on a pretty big ship, Spirit, and you're beyond useless at Soul Perception. What are you going to do now? And think that one through very carefully. Your life depends on it."

Spirit looked this way and that, his pupils tiny with panic, "I don't know, Stein! My poor girl, she's in so much danger, and I'm helpless to stop it! But perhaps…if I watch them, if I keep an eye on them…yes, yes, I don't care what you say! I will find them, I'll just watch their bedroom door, and when they leave, and I can follow them! Then I just have to be sure not to lose them! And they haven't left yet, so I can start right away!"

Stein frowned, not liking the sound of that. He opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes went wide as they fell on the open doorway behind the deranged red-head, his cigarette slipping from his parted lips.

Crona and Maka where walking past Spirit's doorway, the blond Meister smiling and dragging a terrified looking Crona with her, the pink haired boy following her with wide, fearful grey eyes as she dragged him along by the hand. He was dressed in a loose fitting pale blue shirt, and he wore what was undoubtedly swimming shorts, the black material hanging from his hips. This was solidified by the sunny yellow bag Maka was carrying, filled to the brim with towels and sunscreen and various other items.

He watched the pair go by, his eyes wide, before smirking, a knowing smile spreading across his lips.

Spirit on the other hand, didn't look at all happy.

"What's with that smile? What you looking at?" the man shrieked, spinning around to look in the same direction, his hair standing on end. But he was far too late, and Stein waved a hand, smiling contentedly.

"Oh, nothing much, it's just a thought I had. Well, as much as I would love to stay and chat some more with you, I have to leave. Marie's waiting for me back at the lab. Enjoy yourself, and stay out of trouble!" he sang, already preparing to end the call. Spirit spun back around to face him, wild eyed, tears still streaming down his cheeks.

"Wait! You can't leave me yet! _Stein_! You end this call and I swear I'll-,"

His voice cut off sharply, the mirror flashing a brilliant white before returning to normal, showing the doctor a cheerful reflection of his own broad, mirth filled smile.

"Whatever you say, Spirit. Don't let the mirror hit you on the-,"

But the doctor was cut short as without warning something solid hit him across the head, sending him rearing back, his eyes wide with pain and shock. Stars danced before his eyes, and he reached up to cradle his head, letting loose a stream of vile oaths and curses.

"What the…" he finally groaned, looking this way and that, preparing to lash out. But when his eyes fell on his attacker, he felt them go all the wider, his jaw dropping.

Lord Death stood over him, one gloved hand raised high, the edge of it battered from the first ever Reaper Chop he had just handed to his subordinate. He looked down on him not with anger, but with mirth and self-pride, as if he had always wanted to do such a thing to the menacing professor.

"And that, my dear Stein, is for not telling me about adopting one of my star pupils."

Stein glared at him, obviously highly unimpressed, still nursing his pained skull, "Well, I _truly_ am very sorry."

Lord Death ignored the obvious sarcasm waving a hand as he turned back to his mirror, causing Stein to scowl all the more.

"Well, you'd better be! But you'd best take your leave, or else you won't only be getting a beating from me this evening, won't you Stein?"

Muttering darkly under his breath, Stein straightened, already marching towards the exit. He didn't need to be told twice, and after that, he certainly didn't have the patience to stay another minute in this place.

But as he left, he couldn't help but over hear the divinity mutter under his breath, the Lord of Death itself looking curiously into the mirror his weapon had just moments before been weeping into, spilling his heart out about his endangered daughter and the supposed lusty demon chasing after her.

"This looks like it could get interesting…"

* * *

Crona's life was over.

Yes, he was certain of it now, he didn't need someone to tell it to him or point it out, he knew very well just how screwed he was. In fact, it was so obvious he almost felt like laughing…or crying.

Yes, he'd probably cry. A nice long, pathetic cry in a corner by himself would make him feel far better. If only he could find one. This place was so horrific, how could it not have any corners? It was barbaric. But then again it had to have corners…

There was just so much happening he couldn't hope to see them.

He'd been fine with coming here earlier. Not really, but he'd been able to bear it. He'd deal with it for Maka's sake, because he knew it would make her happy. And he was right, she looked very happy, no more than that, she was brimming over with joy and excitement. She was practically glowing, his own personal star, just for him, dancing and bouncing about in front of him.

This would have made him happy…if he wasn't terrified to the very core of his being.

It hadn't taken him very long to realize he had made a mistake. They'd stepped out onto deck only a few minutes ago, but the moment one bare foot had landed on the wooden deck, his bravado had crumbled like a flimsy paper Origami bird in the hands of an oversized wrestler. His eyes had landed on the two enormous swimming pools, on the people swarming around half naked, shouting and laughing and shrieking, the sun beating down on them like the sadistic overlord it was, and it had been enough to send him curling in on himself, pulling back hopelessly.

But Maka had clamped down like a vice, anticipating such a thing, and he was currently being dragged across the deck, his feet dragging across the floor as she pulled him along behind her.

And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get away.

"M-Maka! I-I don't like this, it's scary! C-can't we just go back?"

"No. You'll be fine!"

"Maka, I think I n-need the bathroom! Please let g-go! I'll be back, I promise!"

"He's lying; he's just being a whiny bitch!"

"R-Ragnarok!"

"It's true, isn't it!"

"M-Maka, I don't think the sun is good for me, I'm feeling f-faint! C-can't we go inside? And everyone is t-t-too loud! My h-head is spinning…"

"Then you can put on sunscreen! It'll be fine, I promise!"

"…Sunscreen?"

"That sounds fucking disgusting…!"

"Shut up, Ragnarok…"

Finally, Crona felt them stop, and he looked around, his eyes wide with wild terror. He felt Maka let go of him, and he considered running, but decided against it, knowing full well what would happen to him if he so much as moved an inch.

Maka had stopped beside an open spot beneath a blue umbrella, a single lean back deck chair nearby. The blond Meister was already tugging their towels out of her bag, humming contently to herself as she spread them across the deck beside each other, black and emerald green alongside one another.

Once she had laid them down, Maka took a step back, as if to admire her handiwork, before nodding in approval, beaming brightly.

"Perfect! And there I was worried we wouldn't find a good spot! Isn't this awesome?"

"Oh, it's just _beautiful_," Ragnarok drawled, looking down at the spot from his perch atop Crona's head, rolling his eyes skyward. But the blond took no notice of him, already plopping herself down on her towel and spreading her bare legs out, her toes curling happily in the sun.

After a moment of inner turmoil, Crona let out a heavy sigh, moving to sit down on his own spot beside her, huddling up and hugging his knees to his chest. From the spot they were in, they could gaze out over the pool and the decks in between, and after a moment, he decided it didn't look nearly as bad as it had before.

The water was a shining blue, growing a darker shade as it went, suggesting that the pool was deeper at one end than the other. A flight of stairs lead down into the shallow end of the pool ahead of them, like a marble staircase with a large, stainless steel hand railing cutting through the centre. And right across he could see a walkway snaking between the two pools, with four hot tubs placed intricately around it, steam rising off of them. An identical pool was placed on the other side, and he could see people splashing and laughing on the other side, children playing happily together. He could even spot a group of on-deck employees, sitting behind a white pool table with speakers and a microphone behind them.

All in all, it wasn't all that bad…as long as he didn't have to get involved. He was happy to just spend the rest of the day on his towel under the shade of this umbrella, more a part of the scenery than anything else.

But it seemed Maka had other ideas.

Looking out over the water, Make clapped her hands in delight, her eyes aglow with excitement, "The water looks amazing! This place is beautiful! Hmmm…"

Crona frowned. He didn't like the sound of that last part.

Her eyes alight, eagerness bubbling up inside her chest, Maka pointed to the young man beside her, her finger zeroed in on his slender chest, "Off!"

The swordsman stared at her in astonishment, his grey eyes almost bursting from his skull in obvious confusion, "W-what?"

Maka smiled, cocking her head to one side, "Your shirt, take it off!"

Crona stared at her, before looking this way and that, terrified, "Maka, I-I don't think…"

"It's fine! Please Crona, don't be frightened! It's okay, really it is, see?"

And before Crona could even stutter in response, Maka reached down and grabbed her dress in both hands, already pulling it up along her body.

Crona gaped in shock for a moment, before shrieking and back paddling across his towel, his cheeks turning ten different shades of red as he watched Maka's dress slide up over her shoulders, the young woman revealing her practically naked body to him. Her black bikini stood out against her pale skin, and he felt his mouth instantly go dry, all the air leaving his lungs in a violent rush.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. She was sitting before him in little or nothing, and she was perfectly happy. He could see every contour of her body, every dip and curve, every muscle and every peek. The poor boy couldn't stop his eyes from moving down her slender neck to her breasts, in his eyes barely contained by the stretch of black and silver material, her nipples standing out and stretching the material ever so slightly. Grey eyes froze there, blood racing to every which part of his body, before shaking himself, his eyes already roving further down, down her slender, creamy stomach to her hips, then even further down, down in between her-

He couldn't look anymore. He felt his heart begin to race, and he looked hurriedly away, stuttering and whimpering incoherently, his knees clamped tightly together as he tried to push down the horrible, aching throbbing in his nether.

This was madness. This was torture. This was _hell_.

Maka didn't seem to notice his suffering, the blond giggling as she tossed her dress into her bag. Stretching out and arching her back, warming herself in the sun, she smiled to her companion, her eyes eager, "See Crona? It's perfectly fine! Don't you think?"

Crona cast her another glance, his eyes starting out his skull as he saw the way she was arched, and he looked away again, biting his lower lip, his eyes wide with horror.

Oh yes, that certainly was _fine_, wasn't it?

"I-I-I guess s-so…" he murmured, looking down at his hands about his knees, twiddling his thumbs anxiously, blood still burning in his cheeks, turning them a deep red.

Maka heard the tremble in his voice, and she crawled over to him, her expression anxious. Reaching out she touched one of his shaking hands, causing him to squeak and jump with fright, his eyes darting to stare at her.

"You okay Crona? You don't sound all too good…"

Crona gaped at her, astonished. How did she expect him to be, after all _that_? He'd nearly died! And he had every reason to be upset. He was not _okay_. He was not dealing with this. He was terrified, horrified, mortified, agonized, traumatized-

"W-what? N-no, I'm fine! Really!"

Maka stared at him, one eyebrow raised. She couldn't help but feel unconvinced. He didn't look well at all. And why was he blushing, was there something wrong? Was he embarrassed? What did he have to be embarrassed about? Everything seemed fine…

Looking about, Maka looked to see if she could find the source of his embarrassment, but saw nothing. No one was looking at them; in fact, there weren't many people nearby at all. So what had gotten him in such a state?

Perhaps it was just the heat. He wasn't used to this type of situation. Yes, yes it was probably just the sun or something. What else could it be?

At that thought, Maka let out a gasp, resisting the urge to slap a hand to her forehead. She'd completely forgotten what had started all of this in the first place. Damn her scattered mind, it always ran away with her like this.

Reaching for her bag, Maka took out her bottle of heavy duty sunscreen, tossing it once in her hand and smiling. She was rather proud of it, since she had brought the one with the highest SPF she could find. Some would call it overkill, but that was fine. Overkill was good, wasn't it? And besides, she knew what the sun was like, and she wasn't too keen on either of them getting stuck in bed for most of the trip from major sunburn.

Turning back to Crona, she found him still the way she had left him, the boy's gaze fixed to the ground, pressing his pointer fingers together anxiously, his cheeks a bright red. Moving back over to him she sat herself down next to him, crossing her legs and pointing at his shirt.

"Right, come on Crona. Take it off! If I can do it, you can!"

Crona didn't even bother arguing with her seemingly twisted logic, bowing to her wishes without so much as muttering in response. Not looking at her he slipped out of his shirt, pulling it up over his head and tossing it to one side nonchalantly, revealing his handsome, naked skin to her. Maka couldn't help but suck in a shaky breath as she saw him again, her cheeks suddenly growing hot as she saw his pale skin gleam in the sunlight, muscles standing out in places where you wouldn't expect to see them on such a supposedly slender male.

"Good! We're making progress! Now can you turn around for me?"

Crona gave a small, confused frown, perplexed by her strange request. What did she have in mind? This was all so confusing, he didn't know how to deal with it…but he couldn't argue, not when she was looking at him like that, green eyes large and expectant, her lips pulled up in that smile he loved so much. How could he say no to her? 'No' didn't exist when it came to his Maka.

Turning around and presenting his back to her, Crona sat silently, waiting with baited breath, not quite sure what Maka had in mind. Was she doing something he wasn't supposed to see? This thought made his cheeks grow hot, and he whimpered under his breath, drawing his knees closer to him as his abdomen gave another squirm.

These thoughts weren't good. He was starting to get nervous, his own body reacting to everything he saw, heard or thought. He could feel the blood pumping down to his manhood, already causing it to pulse and burn and harden. He couldn't take it anymore; the tension was driving him mad. He couldn't afford to have an erection now, not here, not with all these people, not with Maka behind him.

He just had to think nice, happy thoughts, right? Like puppies and dolphins and ice cream and his friends and Marie and Stein and Maka…Maka hugging him, crying with him, comforting him, laughing with him, singing to him, reading with him, talking to him, hugging him tighter, touching him, whispering to him, gasping with him, kissing him, moaning with him, moving against him, touching him-

And suddenly everything came crashing down around his head.

Hands. Sticky and warm and wet, touching his back, running over his skin, caressing him and stroking him, roaming up and down. Crona could feel them moving, and he let out a shaky, strangled cry, his cheeks going a violent shade of red, his hands clawing at the air.

Maka was touching him, spreading something across his back, rubbing him in slow, sensual circles, her fingers fanning out and breezing across his skin, making him burn. He felt his mind go numb, stars dancing before his eyes, and he felt his sex instantly jump, throbbing with need and anxiety, causing his eyes to roll into the back of his head and his lips to part, a shaky breath bursting from his lips.

Maka saw his body give a shudder, and she blushed, not expecting him to react in such a way. But she didn't understand half of what was happening, caught up in her own sensations. She could feel his skin beneath her hands, and she found, to her astonishment, that she liked it.

She liked it a lot…

Moving her hands up and down, Maka blushed as she felt Crona give another shudder, his muscles rippling beneath his skin, his breaths causing his back to rise and fall beneath her hands. She could feel how hot and warm his skin was, and she couldn't stop herself from pressing down harder, rubbing all the more, causing his skin to shine and gleam.

And all the while the demon huddled beneath her hands, his heart racing, confusion and pleasure fighting and mixing in his fevered mind.

Oh god, this wasn't happening. Not now, not here, not with her. What was she doing, why was she doing it? What was going on? He needed out, he needed it to stop. He wanted it to stop but also didn't. He wanted her to pull away but to keep going. He wanted her hands to roam further, to come around his front, to caress his stomach and then go down, slipping beneath his pants till she touched him, caressed him, stroke him, grabbed him, rocked at him, pulled at him-

And suddenly it all stopped, familiar pain flowering across his back and causing him to arch, crying out again, his fantasies interrupted for a second time.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing to my Meister, you sick cow?" Ragnarok shrieked, lunging for the startled blond with swinging fists, his cross eyes bulging with over-protective rage and fury, his little body shaking with it.

Maka could only stare at him, her cheeks flushed, "I was p-putting sunscreen on his back! He can't reach there; he'd get sun burnt if I didn't! I-it was nothing! You just blew it out of proportion, that's all!"

"Bull! I saw the look on your face; you were getting some sick and twisted rise out of this! Don't deny it! And all the while Crona was suffering! It was like torture, what with those ugly hands of yours!"

Maka flushed, before throwing the sun block at him, hitting the little demon full on in the face, "Don't talk crap! I was just trying to help! You're just being a pervert, thinking the worst! Why don't you just shut up?"

Huffing indignantly, Maka sat down hard on her towel, her eyes fixed to a spot on the ground as she tried to cool her seething rage. Trust Ragnarok to ruin everything. What would Crona think of her now? She hadn't intended it to be like that, she had just wanted to help him. And there Ragnarok had gone and turned something completely innocent into something dirty.

But…

It hadn't been innocent…not from her side, at least, as much as she hated to admit it. She felt her hands tingle, feeling the ghost of his back beneath her fingers, and she blushed royally, biting her lip.

Could Ragnarok be right? Had she really been aroused by such a thing? Surely not…but she knew he was right. She had liked touching him, liked feeling Crona beneath her hands. It had felt hot, warm, ticklish, sensual and erotic…and strangely right.

No! She shouldn't be thinking stuff like this, it was wrong, it was sick! Why was she acting like this? This whole day all she could think to do was run around like a swirling mass of hormones, it wasn't normal. Where had this come from? It was so sudden, so violent, she felt like she was still spinning from the whip-lash of it all.

But that wasn't true, was it? This had been going on for some time…it had just been slow and gradual. But now…now it was happening so fast she felt like she was being dragged along behind it in the dust.

She was just so confused…and all she could do was lock it up inside, showing it to no one, letting it stew and brew and grow and spread until it consumed her mind, driving her mad, eating at her from the inside like her own personal madness.

It was all too much. Whimpering, Maka pulled her legs to herself and buried her head in her knees, screwing her eyes tightly shut as she attempted to block the world out, trying to deal with her own confusing emotions on her own terms.

All the while Crona watched from the side, his eyes wide, his cheeks still tinted with the slightest tinge of pink. But he was already beginning to calm down, Maka's obvious turmoil sending him crashing back down to earth. Was she okay? Ragnarok had obviously hurt her badly. Was it something he had said? Yes, it had to be. Was she crying? No, no he couldn't deal with her tears, he couldn't deal with Maka crying and being sad over some retched thing like him.

She had just been trying to help him. She had meant nothing from it, and he had taken it in the completely wrong way, fantasizing over her and coming very close to doing something he'd regret.

And this thought made him feel terrible, looking at himself with disgust. He was horrid and disgusting for thinking such things about her. He'd taken something innocent and gentle and turned it into something outrageously dirty. Guilt burned and seared at him, twisting and eating away at him from the inside, and he let out a low groan, tears burning in his eyes.

He hadn't meant for this to happen. He just wanted her to be happy, for them to have fun together, to spend as much time together before they'd have to part again. He hadn't meant to hurt her…

But she was, and it was all his fault. Ragnarok would never have hurt her feelings if he hadn't been reacting to her in such a way as he had.

How could he show her that it was alright? How could he fix this? He didn't know what to do anymore, he was so scared, so conflicted, so confused…

And his eyes fell on the sunscreen at his feet, still there from when Maka had thrown it into Ragnarok's face earlier, the large blue and yellow bottle standing out in stark contrast against his black towel.

_I was just trying to help…_

Perhaps, if she could see something like that as a gentle gesture, and had done it to him, then perhaps…

Snatching up the sunscreen and turned it this way and that before his eyes, examining it anxiously before squeezing some of the strange, white substance onto his hands, wincing as he tossed the bottle back to the ground.

This was probably a stupid idea, and he could already feel his heart beginning to race at the very thought of what he was about to do, but he knew, in some twisted way, that this would probably make things better than they were now. He needed to show her it was alright, and doing the same to her would show her he had thought nothing of it.

…Or at least, that was what he hoped.

Rubbing his hands together timidly and moving over to his still silent companion, Crona felt Ragnarok hit the top of his head, the little black weapon watching him from above with a look of utter bewilderment.

"Crona, what the hell do you think you're doing? Are you stupid? Are you fucking _insane_?" he hissed, giving his Meisters head a shake. But Crona shrugged him off, ignoring him and shutting his partner out completely.

He wasn't going to let him interfere again.

Ragnarok gaped at him, stunned, before folding his arms, huffing indignantly as he looked away, "Well_, fine then_! But don't you dare come crawling back to me with your fat whiny ass and start crying to me about how she raped you in brought daylight! I won't hear any of it!"

Feeling his weapon retreat into his back, Crona let out a low, shaky sigh, kneeling behind Maka, who hadn't even stirred as he'd approached, the young woman still huddled up and as still as the grave. It was starting to make him worried. Was she okay? Was she hurting, hurting on the inside like he had so many times before? It would make sense. But he was going to fix that; he was going to make up for his mistake.

And with that revelation, Crona swallowed hard, stilled his shaking body, and reached out his hands, his cheeks already glowing a bright crimson.

Still caught up in her own turmoil and seething emotions, Maka never even saw it coming. At first she felt nothing, her mind numb to her body's nerves and the messages they were shooting rapid fire to her brain. But when it finally hit home, Maka couldn't help but gasp, her body rocking forward, curling away from whatever was touching her back. She felt her eyes go wide as she heard a whimper behind her, and she spun, large green eyes meeting terrified grey.

"M-Maka, I'm sorry! D-did I do something wrong?" Crona stuttered, his hands raised in front of him, his palms wet with sunscreen, his whole body trembling with embarrassment and fright. Maka felt her jaw go slack, and her cheeks turned red, the poor woman lost completely for words.

"C-Crona? What…?" she murmured astonished. She watched as he shuffled nervously, looking away from her, biting at his lower lip and wringing his hands in obvious embarrassment.

"I'm s-sorry for what happened…y-you were only t-t-trying to help! S-so I w-w-want to help you t-too…and y-you looked s-so sad, I was scared you'd g-gotten hurt. I'm s-so sorry Maka; I can stop if you want!"

"No!" Maka cried, faster and louder than she would have liked, and she blushed all the harder as she saw his eyes widen in shock and disbelief, "I-I mean, I don't mind at all! It's perfectly fine! Thank you, Crona…"

The boy gave her a shaky smile in reply, before stealing himself, reaching out taking her shoulders in both his hands, giving Maka her queue to turn around, which she did reluctantly, biting her lower lip.

Why had she agreed to this? This was stupid, after everything that had happened today, letting Crona do this was just cruel, for him and for her shattered mind. She was so confused as it was, and this was only going to make it worse. She should tell him it was fine, that he could shop, that she would do it hers-

A gasp tore from her throat as Crona began to rub at her back, his large yet tender hands rubbing circles into her back much the same as she had done to him moments before. She could feel how his skin against hers set her nerves alight, his caresses causing her heart to slam against her chest over and over again, like a terrified bird trying to break free. She felt a moan claw at her throat, and she bit her lip violently, clenching her eyes shut as her cheeks burned with shame.

His hands, they felt…they felt amazing, she couldn't stand it. It felt so good, sending waves of pleasure pulsing through her body and straight down to her womanhood, sending her vision blurry and shattering what was left of her rational train of thought. It took all her strength to stop herself from crying out as she felt his nails wrack at her skin, as she felt his hands go right down to her lower back, so far down she wondered if his hands would slip down further and grab her rear, causing her to blush all the harder.

And she could feel her clit throbbing for all it was worth; it was slowly driving her mad. She could remember reading once that touch was the woman's primary sexual sense, and right now, she wasn't at all surprised…

Crona on the other hand, was beyond shocked. He hadn't expected Maka to take to this the way she had. He had expected her to push him away, to laugh at him or to be far too embarrassed to let him continue. But she hadn't. She'd let him go right on a head, and he was astonished to find that the more he touched her, the more natural it felt, the less scared he became. Yes, he was always terrified, but it was a different level of fear now. A different type of fear all together.

He was scared he wouldn't be able to stop. And as he felt her groan and move forward beneath his hands, the athletic girl stretching her body forward to press herself against her towel, forcing him to travel down with her till he hovered just above her, he realized with startling surety that he _couldn't _stop, even if he wanted to. It was all just too strange, too enjoyable, too thrilling, too intimate. And this terrified him to no end.

But Maka didn't mind at all. She couldn't find it in herself to find much else wrong with this, her mind so far gone it should have terrified her. She wanted him to roam more, to touch her more, to press down harder. She struggled to suck in air as she felt his hands slip beneath the tied cords of her bikini, the timid boy making sure to spread the protective lotion on every part over her skin. But she wanted more, wanted his hands to gently slip around her and grab her breasts, to cup them in his hands and knead at them and pinch them and-

And she felt him pull his hands away, his hands drifting away from her burning skin, and as he did she felt her eyes widen, the girl suddenly shocked from the daze she'd been put under by the feel of his hands on her. She looked about her in wide eyed astonishment, and she looked up, her cheeks red.

"T-thank you, Crona!" She laughed, throwing him her best smile, her eyes closed sheepishly. Crona let out a low, murmured reply, twiddling his thumbs and looking down at her shyly, still subconsciously hovering over her, his bare chest just a hands breadth above her.

Trying her best to hide her shame and embarrassment, Maka sat up, forcing him to do the same, the two looking this way and that sheepishly, both feeling awkward for very obvious reasons. Eager to move on swiftly and effortlessly Maka snatched up the sunscreen, grabbed Crona's hand in hers, and plopped another large dollop of the stuff down into his pale, waiting hand as he watched on, confused.

"Start putting the rest on, okay? Be sure not to miss a single spot, we don't want that cute face of yours to get burnt now do we?" she sang, causing him to flush, the poor boy stuttering and nodding. Smiling, Maka helped herself to some more sunscreen, proceeding to spread it across every patch of open skin, massaging it in and causing her skin to shine with it. Crona watched on, still blushing, before following her lead, doing the same with his own handful of lotion.

Once they had done they both sat in silence, looking out across the deck and up towards the sky, watching as the clouds marched silently overhead, the sun laughing down at them like they were the world's biggest sadistic joke, and none of them where in on it. Looking up, Crona finally began to feel himself unwinding, the tightly sprung coil in his body finally easing up and allowing him to relax. He could feel the warm sunlight washing over his skin, and he sighed, lying back and resting his head on his shirt, looking up with heavy lidded eyes, the sound of Maka's familiar, steady breathing slowly but surely lulling him into a state of relaxation he hadn't realized existed in a place like this.

So this was what a normal holiday in the sun must feel like. Now the whole concept didn't seem nearly as foreign or confusing. In fact, it was wonderfully pleasant. As long as nothing happened, he could see himself doing this for the rest of the day. Perhaps he and Maka could just talk, just sit and talk and listen to the sound of each other's breathing and their lovely, familiar voices.

And they did. They talked for what felt like hours, talking about normal, everyday things. They talked about what the others must be doing at home, wondering how they would take their absence. They talked about Stein and Marie, about their engagement, about how Crona felt about it. He told her how much he liked the idea, how happy he was for Marie, how proud he was that she was finally going to be happy. Maka even talked about the latest post card she had gotten from her mother, who was currently in some far South country in Africa, admiring the wonders around her. She'd sent her daughter a postcard of a family of lions curled up in the shade together, faces lazy and full of contentment. Maka had loved it, but Crona still couldn't shake of that feeling of anger he felt towards Maka's mother whenever she sent her daughter these letters and cards, 'sending' her all her love.

He didn't think it was right. Someone like Maka should be getting her love straight from her mother, not in postcards and letters her mother sometimes bothered to grace her with, the woman leaving her daughter on her own while she started her own life all around the globe. It wasn't fair. And he could see it hurt Maka, but she would never admit it.

Such a woman should be with her daughter, cherishing her and devoting her entire being to her. Maka was an angel, she deserved all the worship she got…and Crona would never be satisfied with what he saw she received. She deserved so much more, and these random postcards were nowhere near what his Maka deserved.

But then again, he was no one to talk. His mother had hated him, never showing him an ounce of love, tenderness or genuine affection, only looking down on him with disgust and contempt. She had been a cold hearted, abusive woman, and he had been condemned to the fact that he never actually had a real mother. He was her experiment, not her son, and he never would be.

But ever since he'd met Marie, he'd finally been graced with the love he'd always wanted from his mother. He'd felt what it was like to be hugged, to be told he was loved, to be told how perfect in every way he was. He'd finally felt what it was like to have someone fuss over the way he looked, to ruffle his hair, to tell him how adorable he looked, to be teased and told how handsome he was, and how proud she was of him. He'd finally felt the warmth of a loving, motherly soul wrap around his, holding him close and promising she would never let him go…

In every sense of the word, Marie was his mother. At first this idea had felt upsetting, like a lie he had just slapped onto his life in a pathetic attempt to finally think he could live a normal existence, like any teenage boy his age. But as time had marched on he had realized that he couldn't bear to see her as anything else, and he had grown accustomed to it, accepting it and embracing it with every fibre of his being. And she had done the same, so he couldn't see anything wrong with it.

Marie was his motherly figure, and without her, he wouldn't be who he was today.

And of course, if it wasn't for Maka, he wouldn't be alive at all, let alone a better, more normal person.

So they talked and laughed amongst themselves, the two teenagers rolling onto their sides, to look at each other as they lay there, Maka resting on her arm as Crona traced intricate designs on his towel with one slender finger, smiling shyly as he talked to her, watching with astonishment as she laughed and smiled and giggled and eagerly responded to anything he had to say. It was at times like these that he wondered if he'd really survived all that time ago, wondered if he had died and was living all of this in some strange afterlife or fantasy world. And strangely, this thought didn't scare him at all; because if this was death, then he would have happily died a long time ago.

Because Maka was his angel. She made up his heaven, no matter where he was; he could be in a lonely ditch or in a dark hole in the middle of nowhere, but if Maka was there, it would be just as much a paradise as any place like this. She was his entire world, and to him, that was all that mattered.

And he would be content to just lie like this forever, allowing the sun to pass by overhead and the world to just move on at its own steady pace, ignoring everything else but each other. It would be perfect, and he would never want anything else.

But naturally, things never went his way. Because soon after this thought wormed it's way into his mind, Maka suddenly sat up and stood to her feet, beaming down at him and reaching out a hand.

And then, she said the words that he would forever come to hate, forever come to despise and shy away from, horrified that such a simple sentence could shatter everything for him in an instant.

It was cruel, it was heartless, and it was dreadfully barbaric.

"Come on Crona, let's go swimming!"

* * *

**Lol, FINALLY! XD I was scared I would never get it out! And I am SO sorry for the wait guys, really I am! D: I never expected it to take this long. My exams came up and life started running away with me and before I knew it I'd left this chapter to stew for too long! TT_TT**

**But anyway, I really hope you guys like this one. Yes, it has some nice, steamier than normal moments in it! Hurr hurr, Maka why you so lucky? *ç***

**And as for the last part with Marie, I can genuinely see her doing stuff like that with Crona, playfully messing with his hair, fussing over it like any mother, and telling him how handsome he is and how proud she is. 3 Crona really deserves a mother like that, he really does. And I see Marie as his perfect mother. She would be so gentle and kind and loving and playful with him, he'd love her to bits, and she'd help to bring him out of his cold, defensive shell! 3**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy reading this, and I hope everyone is in character and that the imagery is as you guys expect! 3 I hope I haven't disappointed anybody! D: That would be hell. If any of you have a problem or think there is something wrong, please tell me, so I can fix it accordingly! :3**

**So, until next time! I love you all, and I promise the next update won't take nearly as long! And be prepared, next chapter is going to be full of laughter, sweat, tears and...other stuff! XD**


	9. EVERYONE READ THIS

Hey guys

Been a while hasn't it? And for that I am so, so sorry :C My life is just really hectic, what with this year's school marks going towards my application for college. It's really important that I get good marks. But I've wanted to write again for a while, and I have an announcement to make!

I am now campaigning on King of the web, and I need all your votes.

I'm not doing it for myself, mind you, it's still going to coop crowd in the end (I will forward my votes), but I still need you all to vote! 3

And please, don't see this as bribery, it's not, but if you all vote, you will get special prizes

Here is how it works.

500 votes: I will write a fanfic or oneshot

1000+ votes: I will write a chapter for any fanfic you all choose; there will be a voting poll! You can vote for which fanfic you want updated!

And it will work as such. Every 500 votes or 1000 votes will get a one shot or chapter

Don't think I'm doing this just for votes, I really do want to write again, it's just so hard to keep up with it all :C I'm in my second last year of high school, and these marks are going to my college entry forms at the end of next year. I need to work hard! But I do want to write, I need to! It will also improve my English, I can feel my English marks slipping

I also want to see how many of you still support me, after all this time. I feel like I've let you all down :C So this shall show me if I still have a place in this community, if I should still write and share my stories with you all. There is no point writing if no one will read D:

So there you have it, I'm running in King of the Web, and your votes count my friends! 3

Here is how to vote. Click the vote button, and then it will give you two options. Log in with Facebook, or create an account with King of the web and that will let you vote You can vote up to ten times a day, and spending all your votes for five days will give you ten extra votes! So let's do this!

To find the voting poll and the link to my King of the Web page, look up BosBaBe on google, and go to my DA profile :D It will have a link in my DA journal!

So let's do this guys! FOR THE WIN!

BosBaBe, over and OUT!


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